E-cigarettes Save Paris from Being Inundated with Cigarette Butts

Paris, a romantic city, is one of the most visited in the world, polluted by the 10 million cigarette butts thrown away daily. Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, has banned smoking since June 8 in 52 parks and gardens to make the capital more breathable.

The Parisians will be sensitized until July, with a PV of 38€. In 2018, 35,800 reports with a fine of €68 were drawn up. In 2017, there were 24,511 and 1,880 in 2016. The number of fines has exploded by 1200% in two years!

A cigarette butt takes 12 years to decompose.

Cellulose acetate, titanium dioxide, arsenic, lead, and tar are all harmful substances to humans and the environment. A single cigarette butt pollutes 500 L of water! A cigarette butt takes 12 to 25 years to decompose. The Paris officials voted last February to set up the “streets without butts” system. Some streets already have new ashtrays, and other laptops are distributed to residents, tobacco shops and traders. By registering in each district town hall, the inhabitants of the neighbourhoods are encouraged to participate in the citizen collection. According to Anne Hidalgo, this device “aims to raise awareness among the Paris public of the challenges of passive smoking, but also to improve cleanliness and the living environment for all”.

Some residents have imagined the installation of ashtrays whose cigarette butts will be recycled.

Recycling cigarette butts, is it possible?

Yes, but still not widespread. Some French companies such as GrindMinded or MéGo specialize in recycling cigarette butts. Once cleaned up, they will find a second life as plastic.

This recycled plastic made from cigarette butts can be used, for example, as furniture.

However, with the decline in smoking in France resulting in a decline in cigarette sales in French (equal to 9.23% in volume in 2018), a decrease in discarded butts has been observed in the capital. Indeed, during the year, 40.23 billion cigarettes were delivered against 44.36 billion in 2017, according to Logista.

Vape: the most used in France and 95% successful according to a new study

The figures from Public Health France speak for themselves. With 26.9% of vapers in France, vaping has become the most used but also the most effective means of quitting, according to a new British study by four researchers from University College London. Serveral vape brands are popular in France since 2019, most of them are produced by the vape manufacturers in China who offer vape OEM service.

the electronic cigarette is the most used nicotine substitute.

A few days before World No Tobacco Day, in its BEH (Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin), Public Health France, the national public health agency placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, reveals that 26.9% of French people have voted for cigarettes in the last quarter of 2016. In the second place, 18.3% opted for nicotine substitutes, 10.4% used a doctor or another health professional, and 9.1% used the Tobacco Info Service site.

The vape is, therefore, the most used way to quit smoking.

In 2017, 41.7% of 18-75-year-olds said they had tried e-cigarettes. In total, “3.8% of people aged 18-75 surveyed said they vaped, a stable proportion compared to 2016. The prevalence of daily vaping was also stable at 2.7%. The prevalence of daily vaping by gender and age were also stable.”

At the same time, Public Health France reveals a historic drop in smoking in France, i.e. 1 million fewer daily smokers between 2016 and 2017. It concludes: “On the occasion of World Tobacco Control Day, the announcement of a significant drop in the prevalence of smoking is excellent news. It underlines the effectiveness of public policy and the importance of developing coherent and integrated actions. The accentuation of this policy, with on the one hand the reimbursement by Health Insurance of nicotine substitutes in the same way as other drugs and, on the other hand, the establishment for the next three years of an increase in the price of tobacco to reach €10 per pack should help to reduce smoking in France even more. Everyone knows that increasing the price is the most effective measure to limit entry into smoking and to encourage smokers to quit. “Public Health France announces that the vape is the most used means… without saying that it is thanks to it that this historic drop has taken place! Yet why is it used so much? Because it is the most effective, as proven by a study by University College London published on May 22.

19,000 smokers and 95% success for vapers

After a study showing that the electronic cigarette was the best nicotine substitute, news published in Addiction once again proves its effectiveness. This study analyzed the responses to a questionnaire from nearly 19,000 smokers. During its development, all were over 16, lived in England and had made at least one quit attempt in the year preceding the questionnaire. 36% of them used patches, gums, or nicotine sprays prescribed by a doctor or bought in pharmacies, then 12.7% used an electronic cigarette, 5.5% used varenicline and 4.6 % of behavioural therapies.

The results show that the electronic cigarette is the most effective with 95%, followed by varenicline with 82%. This study also demonstrates that effectiveness depends in particular on age and level of addiction. The four researchers point out that “those who quit early in their adult life avoid almost all excess mortality and regain an average of 10 years of life expectancy.