The cigarette and how to fight against this number one polluter

In 2019, 27% of the population in Luxembourg smoked and of these, more than half smoked at least half a pack cigarette per day. The pandemic has certainly made the situation even worse.

Based on this study, Shime estimates that 700 million cigarettes are smoked in Luxembourg each year, and that two thirds of them end up in the environment. For information and to avoid any misunderstanding, I am talking about cigarettes smoked rather than cigarettes sold, since the number sold in Luxembourg is more than seven billion.

Lots. And despite the health context of the last two years, we are very pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of companies and local authorities in Luxembourg for our eco-friendly solution, and by the success we have had.

There are currently more than 30 companies in Luxembourg, of every size and in every sector (finance, insurance, IT, manufacturing, transport, retail, etc.) and ten towns and cities involved, representing more than 20% of the local population.

"Zero cigarette butts" is obviously an ambitious, landmark target, but it is underpinned by our desire to bring about real and lasting changes in smoker behaviour and, more broadly, to unite a community of eco-citizens.

The size of the country, the European directive on single-use plastics, the commitment of the public authorities, in particular through the "Null Offall Lëtzebuerg" (zero waste Luxembourg) waste prevention strategy, and above all, the genuine eco-friendly culture among our citizens, strengthen our conviction that wanting to make Luxembourg the first "zero cigarette butts" country is not just utopian thinking.

For more than a year now, we have received support from the Ministry of the Economy as part of the "Neistart Lëtzebuerg" (new start Luxembourg) economic recovery programme, to design, develop and have manufactured locally "voluntary cigarette butts disposal bins" enabling environmentally conscious citizens and small traders to collect their cigarette butts and deposit them in specific receptacles.

It is worth noting that the municipality of Mamer adopted this approach, which is unique in Europe, as soon as the first prototype was completed! The very first disposal bin will be installed in the next few weeks, and we intend to export it to several European countries, as our initiative is both innovative and very impactful.