The plastic in cigarette butts is the catalyst for getting rid of all cigarette filters.
Dutch NGO Fair Resource Foundation launched a global campaign on May 13, 2025 to ban plastic cigarette filters. ASH is one of the many organizations that signed on in support and collaborated with the Fair Resource Foundation in the lead up to the launch.
ASH supports banning all cigarette filters, even though this particular campaign only targets plastic filters. This campaign remains important to our work.
First, nearly all cigarette filters are made of plastic, 98% of them to be exact. A ban on plastic filters would in practice be a ban on all filters, at least in the short term. The tobacco industry has put serious effort into developing a “biodegradable filter” to replace plastic filters and failed. If there were an easy alternative that would maintain profits, the industry would already be using it.
Second, this campaign raises overall awareness of the cigarette filter problem. Cigarette filters do not protect users’ health and once used, they are toxic no matter what they are made of.
The vast majority of people think that filters make cigarettes less dangerous. Who could blame them: It’s right there in the word “filter.” Of course, cigarette filters actually make smoking more harmful and were never designed to “filter” anything. They were introduced in the 1950s as a marketing tool to placate a public that was becoming increasingly alarmed by the health effects of smoking. Essentially, it gave people an alternative to quitting, and made it look like the industry cared about what happened to their customers.
Cigarette filters, no matter what they are made of, are a very toxic byproduct that cannot be recycled and should not be discarded in the environment due to their toxicity. This campaign serves as a platform to inform the general public and policymakers about the negative health impact of cigarette filters and the toxicity of all filters once used.
This campaign does not limit decision makers to banning only plastic filters. In all the serious legislative discussions of banning cigarette filters, including Santa Cruz County’s law, all filters have been included, not just plastic filters.
This campaign seeks to bring cigarette filters to the legislative docket, which would be a big win. At that time, we can further the conversation to point out the obvious reasoning behind banning all cigarette filters.
Plastic is a major environmental issue, and the subject of ongoing UN treaty negotiations. When people outside of the public health community hear about a plastic filter problem, they mainly see the word “plastic” because, as stated above, the word “filter” doesn’t raise any hackles. It brings environmental groups and the environmentally-minded public to the table. Once at the table, the case for a blanket ban is essential.
There is a common saying among advocates: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” If we insist on an all or nothing approach for every initiative, we risk putting off the day when all filters are banned.
Every step forward is progress on the road to a tobacco-free world.
