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Covering their butts: responses to the cigarette litter problem
Elizabeth A Smith1, Patricia A McDaniel
1University of California, San Francisco, Social and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA. libby.smith@ucsf.edu
The tobacco industry attempted to manage cigarette butt litter to protect social acceptance and avoid regulation. However, their strategies, like anti-litter programs, were insufficient, highlighting the need for policy changes.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Public Health Policy
- Tobacco Control Research
Background:
- Cigarette butt litter poses environmental risks due to toxicity and non-biodegradability.
- Addressing cigarette butt litter can drive tobacco control policies, including price increases and denormalization.
- The tobacco industry's response to litter management is a critical aspect of tobacco control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the tobacco industry's strategies for managing cigarette butt litter.
- To analyze media coverage of the cigarette litter issue.
- To inform tobacco control advocates on effective policy approaches.
Main Methods:
- Searched the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (1959-2006) using snowball sampling.
- Analyzed approximately 700 industry documents using an interpretive approach.
- Conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis of 406 newspaper articles (1982-2009) from Lexis/Nexis and Newsbank.
Main Results:
- The tobacco industry actively monitored and strategized to address cigarette litter, recognizing its impact on smoking's social acceptability and regulatory potential.
- Industry-backed anti-litter programs, often in partnership with organizations like Keep America Beautiful (KAB), were developed.
- Media coverage favored industry-promoted solutions like clean-ups and ashtrays, with KAB-related stories often portraying the industry positively. Clean outdoor air (COA) laws received significant media attention.
Conclusions:
- Cigarette litter, stemming from smoker behavior, negatively impacts non-smokers and the environment.
- The tobacco industry's efforts to mitigate cigarette litter's impact have been largely unsuccessful.
- Tobacco control advocates should collaborate with environmental groups and advocate for policies holding the industry accountable for cigarette waste.
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