Bro-smoking on beaches: Schleswig-Holstein fights against tipping waste!

Bro-smoking on beaches: Schleswig-Holstein fights against tipping waste!

Eckernförde, Deutschland - In Schleswig-Holstein, the topic of environmental protection is increasingly being taken seriously on the beach. More and more beach sections introduce smoking bans to counter the problem of cigarette waste. Stefan Borgmann, Eckernförde's tourism director, emphasizes that interest in non-smoking zones is increasing. Since the introduction of a smoking ban on the main beach in 2022, the garbage figures have been drastically reduced: Before the ban, the cigarette butts found were 4000, after the ban only at 1000. This positive development also encourages the municipalities of Fehmarn and Heiligenhafen to take similar measures. There is already a non -smoking section in Scharbeutz, while one should follow in Grömitz.

on the island of Föhr, which is a pioneer in this topic, has been a general ban on smoking on the beach since 2020, apart from special smoking areas. In Wyk on Föhr, free beach bag cups are available to avoid throwing cigarette stubs away. The municipalities of Utersum and Nieblum also report positive experiences with non -smoking beaches. In contrast, there are currently no plans for smoke -free beach sections in Lübeck; Here the throwing away of cigarette stubs is punished as an administrative offense. In Kiel, despite the lack of a smoking ban, the administrative offense applies to the improper disposal of cigarette butts, which is punished with a fine of 25 euros.

The extent of the environmental impact

The load from cigarette butts is alarming. According to information from the NABU, about two thirds of all cigarette butts land on the floor, which means about 4.5 trillion tipping per year worldwide. These waste is not only an aesthetic, but also a significant ecological problem. Estimates show that 30 to 50 % of the collected beach waste consist of cigarette butts. These small but dangerous garbage pieces contain over 50 carcinogenic toxins such as nicotine, arsenic and lead, which can have significant effects on the environment and wildlife.

Scientists have found that cigarette filters made from cellulose acetate insert microplastics into the oceans. About 90 tons of nicotine and a ton of arsenic get into nature annually. This has fatal consequences for sea inhabitants such as fish and sea turtles. The latter often confuse cigarette stubs with food, which can lead to serious health problems, including possible constipation and starvation. A single cigarette butt can poison up to 1,000 liters of water in such a way that living organisms are damaged in it.

initiatives for waste prevention

The BUND for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND) actively supports smoking bans on beaches and a general ban on throwing away cigarette butts. Some seaside resorts have already started to set up disposal containers and to inform the public about the serious consequences of pollution. Despite these efforts, the problem remains serious. It is estimated that cigarette filters in many cities are the most frequently thrown away garbage, with up to 1,600 stubs per hundred meters of beach. Even in Berlin, a fine was introduced for throwing cigarette, but without significant improvement in the situation.

The cigarette deposit initiative suggests introducing a deposit system on cigarettes in order to reduce pollution from cigarette butts. However, Carmen Schultze from the federal government expresses concerns about the enforceability of such a system. What is clear: cigarettes are poisonous hazardous waste that is a serious threat to the environment and life in our waters.