World No Tobacco Day 2026
Let's fight nicotine and tobacco addiction – the environment will thank us
Friday, May 29, 2026 marks WHO's World No Tobacco Day. This article was written in collaboration with the Department of Wellbeing, Environmental Services and Green Services as part of preventive substance abuse work and communication in accordance with the SUP Directive.
Tobacco and nicotine products are a burden on both health and the environment
Tobacco and nicotine products also burden the environment. Cigarette butts and nicotine pouches are the most common beach litter that is washed away by stormwater. Single-use products and cigarette butts in particular are a significant environmental problem worldwide.
The SUP Directive obliges tobacco product producers to cover the costs of cleaning up tobacco waste from public areas of municipalities
The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, or SUP Directive, also applies to producer responsibility for cigarette butts. Producer responsibility means that tobacco producers must bear the costs of collecting and cleaning up waste from tobacco products in public areas of municipalities. From 1 January 2027, the SUP Directive will also apply to producers of nicotine pouches.
Municipalities are obliged to organize the collection of tobacco waste from public areas of the municipalities and the city of Hamina has currently acquired over 30 tobacco waste bins around the city. The number of bins will double in the near future. The tobacco waste bins have been purchased at the expense of tobacco producers. Green services monitor the amount of tobacco waste annually and the waste costs are collected retroactively from tobacco producers.
What happens to cigarette waste in the body and the environment?
In the environment, cigarette waste gradually breaks down into microplastics, while releasing nicotine into the environment. As nicotine products break down, the harm can be transmitted to birds, fish and other animals.
Nicotine is rapidly absorbed by the body and metabolized in the liver. Cotinine is the main breakdown product of nicotine. The breakdown products are mainly excreted in the urine, and in small amounts also in saliva and sweat. The breakdown products are carried with the urine to wastewater and wastewater treatment plants. However, the greater impact is caused by the environmental burden caused by littering, production chemicals, vaping, production, emissions and improperly disposed products.
This year, WHO's campaign also aims to:
- raise awareness on the marketing strategies used by tobacco and nicotine producers.
- promote stronger political guidance for example, by restricting flavoured products and advertising (including digital and social media), and regulating packaging and product design that make products more attractive.
- prevent addiction and reduce pressure to start smoking by influencing the health literacy of the population – especially young people – and by providing research-based methods for quitting smoking.