SC Olimpia draws attention to cigarette butt pollution!

The public education campaign The Cigarette Speaks, organized by Latvijas Zaļais punkts in cooperation with environmental management company SIA Eco Baltia vide, continues its journey in Riga today. Two new locations – the Olimpia shopping center and Rimi Olympic Center – now feature campaign environmental installations that highlight the environmental pollution caused by cigarette butts. These will be on display until July 30.

The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness about the pollution caused by cigarette butts, promote understanding of their environmental impact, and encourage smokers to act responsibly. Using visually impactful and informative installations, passersby are invited to pause, reflect, and even change their daily habits.

Each installation is based on common myths about cigarette butts and contrasts them with scientifically grounded facts. For example:

Myth: “A cigarette butt decomposes in nature like paper.”
Truth: The filter contains plastic – cellulose acetate – which does not decompose for decades.

Myth: “Such a small cigarette butt can’t really pollute anything.”
Truth: A single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 1,000 liters of water.

Where should you properly dispose of a cigarette butt?

Since cigarette filters currently cannot be recycled, the only effective solution is to dispose of them in general waste containers – after thoroughly extinguishing them. They can also be thrown into special receptacles for cigarette butts and litter in public spaces.

To reduce cigarette butt pollution, Latvijas Zaļais punkts is, for the second year in a row, providing municipalities with 172 special receptacles in cooperation with tobacco product manufacturers. These are intended for locations where smokers lack proper disposal options for this small yet environmentally harmful type of waste.