Brussels will fine uncivil smokers.
2020 is the green year or at least from the beginning of change for many countries and cities that have set out to become examples of environmental responsibility , whether it is eliminating plastic, promoting the use of bicycles, restricting traffic during peak hours, as in the case of Barcelona, or keeping the streets cleaner from toxic waste.
We do not realize that every day we are exposed, we and all the beings that live in the city, to thousands of them. Butts are one of those toxic agents that timidly and without making much noise (visually) slip in everywhere and threaten, above all, our beaches, seas and natural spaces (let's not forget that they are behind many fires).
It is estimated that each of them takes 12 years to degrade , not to mention that they are composed of nicotine, tar, ammonia and polonium 210, that is, carcinogenic substances that kill six million people every year according to data from the World Health Organization.
Either you stop smoking or you stop throwing your butts on the floor.
According to WWF, Spain, for example, consumed 50 million butts in 2016, and in Greece the main waste found on its beaches is butts. In cities like Barcelona we have seen butt collection movements; In one day alone, up to 270,000 were removed from public spaces. While for the first time, this same summer we also published a list with the main Spanish beaches where smoking was no longer allowed.
In the case of Brussels, in May 2019 the movement Leo Not Happy (in honor of Leonardo DiCaprio) led an action in which during 3 hours a total of 240 volunteers collected 270,000 butts . This was his message:
“Throwing your butt on the ground, at the foot of a tree or in a sewer is a gesture that seems so innocuous, and yet every second, 137,000 cigarette butts are thrown on the ground in the world . Butts contain plastic, 4,000 chemical substances, are not biodegradable and alone pollute 500 liters of water. It is the first waste we find in our environment. Smoker friends you can throw them in a trash can. The earth is not an ashtray ”.
Plan Filters is the new action plan that has been launched by the Brussels government, led by the councilor of the green party, Zoubida Jellab . The main action on the street is awareness , so it's not uncommon to see bikes with large signs warning not to throw butts on the ground, and more visible ashtrays have been installed throughout the city.
"The objective of this project is not to discourage people from smoking. However, from January 2020 the security services will strictly control that smokers no longer throw butts on the street, so the fines will rise from 50 to 200 euros Jellab pointed out.
Following in the footsteps of other Belgian municipalities such as Ixelles and Anderlecht, Brussels will also be in the hands of the WeCircular company that is responsible for collecting, sorting and recycling tobacco butts.
On the other hand, measures have also been imposed against tobacco companies. In Brussels, it has been urged that they themselves be responsible for the cleaning costs. As a country, measures have been imposed for 2020 such as tobacco packages becoming darker, less attractive, in addition to banning menthols and The sale to minors under 18 years of age will also be prohibited.