Environmental cleanup of cigarette butt litter

Environmental organizations and volunteer groups in Croatia and Portugal are conducting large-scale cleanup operations to combat cigarette butt pollution.

In Croatia, the ‘Baci čik u koš’ campaign, led by Čisteći medvjedići and RokOtok, has collected over 400,000 cigarette butts over three years. Campaign founder Perica Štefan highlighted that filters contain cellulose acetate, which is difficult to decompose and releases harmful substances into soil and water. Following a record collection of 8,500 butts in Nova Kapela, Štefan called for the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition and local governments to implement enforceable littering penalties.

Similarly, in Sintra, Portugal, the Sintra Jovem Volunteering program removed more than 98,000 cigarette butts from various beaches, including São Julião and Adraga, during the summer. Local authorities noted that the synthetic fibers in filters persist for years and that each butt can contain approximately 4,000 toxic substances. These efforts were paired with educational activities to promote recycling and responsible environmental behavior.