Group advocates butt tax

What happens after a cigarette butt is casually flicked onto a street, trail or beach? Typically, wind and rain carry it into the water supply, where toxic chemicals leach out into land and aquatic ecosystems. Three BC men hope to make provincial sidewalks, playgrounds, roadsides and parks butt-free by launching a campaign to impose a 10-cent tax on each cigarette butt sold in the province and aim to bring their plan to provincial legislators.

“It’s about the litter and the fire hazard, primarily,” said one of the organizers, log-home builder Chris Jorgensen, 38, of Langley. “Is it possible? Why not?”

Recycling Council of BC spokeswoman Mairi Welman said the proposal has flaws. “It sounds like a real nice silver-bullet solution, but silver bullets rarely work when it comes to the environment,” she said, adding that collecting and storing the chemical-laden butts could raise toxic-waste issues. Welman thinks it might make more sense to impose an eco-fee on butts, similar to those on tires and paint, that would put responsibility for collection and return on users and manufacturers.

Cigarette butts can take years to break down, leaching toxic chemicals such as cadmium, lead and zinc into water within one hour of contact. For more info, check out www.cigarettelitter.org.

In 2001, Maine became the first state to attempt imposing a deposit on cigarette butts, but legislators shot down the bill 107 to 29, out of fear the 5-cent deposit per smoke would drive buyers to neighbouring states.

Businesses that sell cigarettes should be responsible for collecting the butts and returning the deposits, says Jorgensen.

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