Closed petition Ban cigarettes - The Largest Ocean Polluter

Closed on 4 May 2021

In April 2021 England will officially ban the single use plastics such as straws and cotton buds. Wales will also do the same in Spring 2021. However the largest source of single use plastic pollution is cigarettes. Therefore it would be appropriate to also ban cigarettes.

The Government have agreed to ban single use plastic in 2021, however the list of items banned crucially misses out cigarettes. Cigarettes are the top single use plastic polluter in the world! On top of the plastic and microplastics issue, cigarettes also add harmful chemicals such as nicotine, lead and arsenic into the environment. These chemicals enter our food chain leading to bioaccumulation. They have also been shown to inhibit plant growth on land and reduce crop yeilds.