The thriving bottom-up movement created by litterpickers plays an important role in growing global support for a cigarette filter ban. The fight against cigarette filter pollution is fought both in board rooms and on the ground. A rapidly growing number of litterpickers are working hard locally and regionally to put cigarette filters on the agenda of fellow citizens, local governments and local media. These actions are crucial towards the (inter)national ban. There are no better ambassadors for a cigarette filter ban, as they experience on a daily basis that this problem cannot be cleaned up. It is the collaboration between NGOs and local initiatives that is driving the change.
Dutch heroes
The Netherlands knows a very strong bottom-up movement working to reduce cigarette filter pollution. Here are some of the key figures of the Dutch fight for a filter ban:
Bernadette Hakken (Het Peukenmeisje / Ms. Cigarette Butt)
Since 2018 Bernadette has cleaned up cigarette filters almost every day. By doing so, she has inspired hundreds of people in the Netherlands and abroad, to follow her lead. They’re all connected as the ‘Rapers van het Peukenmeisje’, a very active group calling out the cigarette filter problem for what it is: impossible to cleanup. Bernadette has made many appearances in local and national media. She has become the face of the battle on the ground, with her trademark photo with a wig made of cigarette butts. Bernadette’s tireless efforts have been instrumental in putting cigarette filters on agendas throughout the country, and abroad. In July 2025, a local newspaper proclaimed her the ‘Queen of Cigarette Butts’. More than deserved, as Bernadette is also the coordinator of annual, global No Butts Day. This event, which started in Amsterdam in 2019, is rapidly spreading across the globe leading to increasing support for a filter ban.
In 2026 Bernadette delivered her most impressive feat so far: she managed to activate dozens of European citizens (litter pickers) to provide input to the public consultation for the Single-Use Plastics Directive. Of the 500+ submissions, almost 30% was specifically about cigarette filters. That is a powerful evolution: from picking up cigarette filters daily and generating a large following, to coordinating European lobbying efforts to ban cigarette filters!
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Bernadette Hakken (Ms. Cigarette Butt) showcasing just a tiny portion of the hundreds of thousands of cigarette filters she has cleaned up over the years
Anton Damen (Plandelman)
Known as the Plandelman (‘plandelen’ stands for collecting trash while walking) he’s been involved with the fight against cigarette filters since 2022. Together with Bernadette he coordinates the participants of the annual global day of action No Butts Day. Anton invented ‘Blue Monday’, circling cigarette butts with blue crayons making them visible as ‘crime scenes’. As a journalist, he knows his way with the media, and has been able to quickly build a strong identity and following. Anton’s creativity consistently leads to playful actions, involving everyone from primary schools to local councillors.
During the political leader debate for the municipal elections of large Dutch city Utrecht Anton provided two (!) of the five questions that were asked to the participants. Of course, litter and, specifically, cigarette filters, were mentioned and discussed.
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Anton Damen (Plandelman) and Bernadette Hakken (Ms. Cigarette Butt) showcasing just a tiny portion of the hundreds of thousands of cigarette filters they and their followers cleaned up over the years
Ivo Rodermans (Zwerfie Rotterdam)
From taking out aldermen for cleanups on the streets of Rotterdam to lobbying against nitrogen cylinders in the House of Parliament, Ivo is an influential voice in the cleanup community. He has organised countless cleanups in his city, gained a large following (700+ volunteers in Rotterdam alone!) and has been effective in reaching out to local, regional and national media. Armed with gripers and bags he guides local school classes on cleanups year round. Having been this active in mapping and cleaning litter, he has (logically, one could say) joined the fight against cigarette filter pollution. Ivo set up Zwerfie Rotterdam, professionally blogging about litter issues in the Netherlands.
The city of Rotterdam was one of the first municipalities to support a ban on cigarette filters, thanks to Ivo’s tireless efforts and connections. His latest achievement: getting the first regional water authority to sign the call for a cigarette filter ban, a milestone!
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Ivo Rodermans (Zwerfie Rotterdam) and some of his volunteers standing next to alderman Pascal Lansink-Bastemeijer of the municipality of Rotterdam after they officially signed their support for a cigarette filter ban
Marloes Heebing, Jan Daamen, Peggy Blaauw (GoClean)
Local organisation GoClean has been monitoring litter for many years now. They initiated and coordinate the (inter)national cigarette filter monitoring, of which the Dutch government said it was more thoroughly than their own monitoring. Their first report was an essential document for policymakers to start considering a ban on cigarette filters. Marloes and Peggy are the entrepreneurs, Jan is the data-guy, meticulously following relevant processes within the Dutch government and analysing the data GoClean and their followers around the country collect. They even built their own litter-app, Zwerfafvalkompas, which is used by citizens, companies and governments to take preventive measures.
It’s initiatives like these, that evolve from volunteers picking litter to business models which demonstrably lead to litter reduction, that are instrumental in building bottom-up support for (inter)national measures. GoClean leads the way with enthusiasm and increasing professionalism.
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Part of the GoClean-team collecting valuable data on litter for local governments to take preventive action
Frans van Zaalen
Retired, Frans regularly collects litter, under his ‘stage name’ Zwerfelaar. He is known for cleaning up after serious car accidents involving significant damage. Frans visits the sites in the days that follow to clear away the smaller debris — the kind that tow truck operators typically don’t have the time to deal with. Quite often, this amounts to several kilograms of waste, with a personal record standing at 7.5 kilograms. Another specialty of Zwerfelaar is cleaning up styrofoam, he stops to collect it whenever he has the time and can do so safely. Furthermore, Frans is currently working on a motion for his local municipal council (which he hopes to extend to other municipalities later on) aimed at addressing — and hopefully preventing — litter originating from construction and demolition sites.
Frans has involved his local community, but being confronted with widespread cigarette filter pollution almost daily he wanted to do more. And he did! Frans became an active part of the Plastic Peuken Collectief, calling on municipalities to support a cigarette filter ban.
Frans, aka Zwerfelaar, in his natural habitat: being confronted by litter every day, everywhere, made him combative and an advocate for upstream measures
Plastic Peuken Collectief
Bernadette, Anton, Ivo, Marloes, Peggy, Jan en Frans all work together in the ‘Plastic Peuken Collectief’ (plastic cigarette butt collective). Set up by Fair Resource Foundation in 2018 this group put cigarette filter pollution on the Dutch political agenda and generated official support with the national government for a cigarette filter ban.
Many more initiatives
There are countless initiatives in the Netherlands that focus solely or partly on cigarette filter pollution in their actions. This list is by no means exhaustive:
- TrashUre Hunt
- Juttersgeluk
- Bieklien
- Jutters Katwijk
- Beach Cleanup Tour
- Peukenbos
- Zero Waste Apeldoorn
It’s not just the more visible initiatives, it is the thousands and thousands of local initiatives that all contribute to more awareness, more knowledge and more support. While the tobacco industry is very happy to hijack their good intentions – promoting cleanups and smoker responsibility as the solutions to the problem caused by their product – the increasing public and private support for a filter ban through these local initiatives outweighs this risk.
Join the action
What can you do? You can join in on the action and help pressure governments and politicians worldwide to implement an international ban on cigarette filters by:
- Sign the call for a ban on cigarette filters
- Participate in global day of action No Butts Day 2026
- Sign up as National Ambassador within Europe for the No (Plastic) Filter-campaign
- Sign our letter to members of the United Nations
- Send a letter to your municipality asking them to join the campaign
- Make a donation and help to make our work possible
- Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with our campaign!
Visit our Take Action-page to find more ways to help achieve a ban on cigarette filters!