Paris will sanction with 75 dollars those who throw cigarette butts in the streets


Smokers in Paris will have to think twice before throwing their cigarette residue onto the city streets.

As of this October 1, a decree began to govern which will be fined with 75 dollars to those who throw cigarette butts on public roads, as announced by the Paris mayor's office on its website.

According to the local government, the lack of cleanliness in the city is one of the main complaints of Parisians. Throwing away cigarette butts damages the city's landscape and the living conditions of its inhabitants; Furthermore, these residues, which take between 4 and 12 years to disappear, release substances that are harmful to health such as nicotine, cadmium and lead.

“These toxic substances are harmful to flora and fauna. Throwing cigarette butts in canals pollutes water and sewers. They also seriously reduce the life of the trees, ”said the Parisian administration.

According to the authorities, each year in Paris 350 tons of cigarette butts are collected by the 6,800 agents of the city who work in the maintenance of the 2,900 kilometers of sidewalks and roads in the French capital.

The mayor's office installed 30,000 baskets with ashtrays throughout the Parisian territory so that passers-by who want to put out their cigarettes can do so and deposit it there.

Likewise, during the summer 15,000 pocket ashtrays were distributed to sensitize smokers not to throw waste in public places.

47.5 million cigarettes were sold in Paris during 2013, according to authorities. The 350 tonnes of waste is estimated to be a low estimate due to the number of people visiting the city each day.

CNN Spanish

Video: Whats the Worlds Most Littered Plastic Item? Cigarette Butts. National Geographic (May 2021).