Who is taking out the Trash?

Who is taking out the Trash?

Tobacco companies and manufacturers should be held responsible for the amount of toxic waste caused by tobacco butts in Oakland. Despite the many efforts from the City of Oakland, business owners and Oakland residents in picking up tobacco litter the problems still exist.

There is a need for a measure that makes tobacco companies and manufacturers responsible to pick-up their toxic trash, which can stay in the environment from 18 months to 10 years, despite claims of their biodegradable components. As you may know, other companies are held responsible for their waste, except tobacco. I am wondering, why we should treat tobacco litter any different? It has the same effects on the environment that many other pollutants have.

Many might say there are so many measures and laws passed against tobacco companies and manufacturers already, why is this measure necessary? The reason is that, many of the waste caused by tobacco litter that surrounds our Oakland neighborhoods is affecting not only the individual, who chooses to smoke, but our whole environment.

This is affecting Oakland residents’ pockets too. A major city like San Francisco estimates that least 53% of their waste comes from tobacco litter, and the city is spending $ 11.4 million a year to pick-up this toxic waste. Without knowing, the constituents are paying in the form of taxes to remove the poisonous waste caused by tobacco companies.

To make it clear, the definition of tobacco litter has change over the past years from tobacco butts to a more diversified tobacco products waste (for instance, e-cigarette cartridges and e-cigarette refills, hookah pens, chewing tobacco and snus cans as well as other tobacco product packaging).

Tobacco waste and toxins pollute our fresh water, our oceans, sea and wildlife. According to a recent study led by Save the Bay, “An estimated 3 billion cigarettes are littered each year in the Bay Area.” This means that in 10 years we will have 30 billion pieces of tobacco wastes running in our streams, creeks and oceans affecting our overall ecosystem.

Organizations like Save the Bay conduct yearly litter pick-ups to collect all the waste caused by tobacco litter. However, they can only do so much. Not all the litter can be picked up by these organized clean-ups. Other attempts to pick-up tobacco litter have only been a short term solution and have demonstrated very little impact in controlling the tobacco litter contamination in the environment.

Coming up with a long-term solution is the best way to deal with the litter caused by tobacco products that affects all of us. Tobacco companies and manufacturers should be responsible in paying the price for destroying our environment. By passing a measure that makes tobacco companies pick up their toxic trash we will guarantee a healthier environment to our future generations.