The Health and Economic Burden of Tobacco Use
Cost of Tobacco Product Waste Mitigation and Environmental Pollution
The society bears additional economic burden for the disposal of littered cigarette butts and packages from the consumption of more than 193 billion cigarettes by US adults a year.1 Among other tobacco products, e-cigarettes and their various components (e.g., disposable e-cigarettes and single-use pod-based cartridges) generate plastic waste , electronic waste (e.g., lithium-ion batteries and circuit boards), and hazardous nicotine waste (e.g., liquid nicotine) in addition to packaging waste (Figure 3.5.1).2 The magnitude of e-cigarette waste is reflected in the combined sales in 2021 of 1.5 billion units of cartridges, 28.8 million devices, and 55.5 million units of disposable e-cigarettes reported by nine leading domestic e-cigarette companies in the US.3
Tobacco product litter comprises an estimated 22% to 36% of all visible litter.4 While the toxins carried in the waste may cause direct harm to human body and animals, there are financial costs for abatement of waste and enforcement of deterrence of littering. Besides, the litter that is not cleaned up and are non-biodegradable can stay in the ecosystems polluting the environment. Littered environment is also known to hurt hospitality and tourism industry. The annual per capita cost to clean up tobacco product waste for the 30 largest US cities was estimated at $6.46 and the total annual cost combined was $264.5 million in 2020 (Figure 3.5.2).5
Improperly disposed cigarette butts and e-cigarettes can increase the risk of building fire and wildfire. Fire hazards attributable to cigarette smoking caused an estimated 130,000 fires annually in the US resulting in over $2 billion loss associated with firefighting and $6 billion in property damage in 1998 US dollars.6
Tobacco product litter comprises an estimated 22% to 36% of all visible litter.4 While the toxins carried in the waste may cause direct harm to human body and animals, there are financial costs for abatement of waste and enforcement of deterrence of littering. Besides, the litter that is not cleaned up and are non-biodegradable can stay in the ecosystems polluting the environment. Littered environment is also known to hurt hospitality and tourism industry. The annual per capita cost to clean up tobacco product waste for the 30 largest US cities was estimated at $6.46 and the total annual cost combined was $264.5 million in 2020 (Figure 3.5.2).5
Improperly disposed cigarette butts and e-cigarettes can increase the risk of building fire and wildfire. Fire hazards attributable to cigarette smoking caused an estimated 130,000 fires annually in the US resulting in over $2 billion loss associated with firefighting and $6 billion in property damage in 1998 US dollars.6
Sources
- https://chronicdata.cdc.gov/Policy/Adult-Tobacco-Consumption-In-The-U-S-2000-Present/rnvb-cpxx/about_data
- Pourchez J, Mercier C, Forest V. From smoking to vaping: a new environmental threat? The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2022; 10(7):E63-E64.
- Federal Trade Commission. E-Cigarette Report for 2021. April 29, 2024. Available from https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/E-CigaretteReportfor2021.pdf accessed April 30, 2024.
- Schneider JE, Peterson NA, Kiss N, Ebeid O, Doyle AS. Tobacco litter costs and public policy: a framework and methodology for considering the use of fees to offset abatement costs. Tobacco Control. 2011;20(Suppl 1):i36-i41. doi:10.1136/tc.2010.041707.
- Schneider JE, Scheibling CM, Peterson NA, Granados PS, Fulton L, Novotny TE. Online Simulation Model to Estimate the Total Costs of Tobacco Product Waste in Large U.S. Cities. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 30;17(13):4705. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17134705.
- Leistikow, B.N.; Martin, D.C.; Milano, C.E. Fire Injuries, Disasters, and Costs from Cigarettes and Cigarette Lights: A Global Overview. Prev. Med. 2000, 31, 91–99.