International butts action day calls for a ban on plastic cigarette filters.
On Saturday, July 5th 2025 the seventh edition of ‘No Butts Day’ takes place. Thousands of volunteers all over the world pick up as many cigarette butts as possible to raise awareness and inspire policymakers to take action. The event is not about cleaning up: the participants call for a ban on plastic cigarette filters. ”This widespread toxic pollution can’t be solved with awareness raising or cleaning, contrary to what the tobacco industry wants us to believe. The plastic cigarette filter is a misleading form of toxic pollution which can only be tackled via a ban.”
Join No Butts Day 2025
Everybody is invited to participate in No Butts Day. You can either register your own local event, or join an existing one using our world map. Most events take place on July 5th, some events might take place in the weeks before. All participants and all collected cigarette butts are counted. Coordinator Bernadette Hakken – better known as Ms. Cigarette Butt – provides relevant information to the event organisers, and collects all relevant data. On July 6th a press release with the results in several languages is sent around the world.
Cigarette filters: a huge problem
On No Butts Day 2024 thousands of people in dozens of locations spread around various countries of the world picked up over 600,000 cigarette filters in a couple of hours. “It’s fantastic how many cigarette butts have been cleaned up,” says Hakken, “but if you realize that despite all efforts trillions of cigarette butts have been left in the environment, and the amount of cigarette butts picked will be back on the streets next week, you only realize how big this problem is. The dissatisfaction with cigarette filter pollution is growing, both in politics and society. That is why support for a ban on plastic cigarette filters is now growing rapidly.”
Two out of three cigarette filters end up in the environment
It is estimated that two out of three plastic filters end up on the ground or in the water. They are small but absolutely not harmless. Almost all cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic that decomposes into polluting microplastics. In addition, a cigarette butt leaks huge amounts of toxic substances that disrupt soil and aquatic life, like tar, benzene, heavy metals and pesticides. The cigarette filter is, by number, the largest form of plastic pollution worldwide. In addition the cigarette filter does not reduce harm risks for smokers. It is merely a marketing tool to sell more cigarettes. t ”Add to that the huge mountain of plastic pollution and you can’t help but conclude that it’s time to stop using that filter”, says No Plastic Filter.
Other cigarette butt actions around the world
In the past weeks No Plastic Filter spoke to many other organisations around the world organising similar events. Who knows, in 2026 we might organise one major global event together? For now you can also participate in, or find the results of:
- Surfrider Against Cigarette Butts (by Surfrider Foundation): May 30th and June 1st in several European countries
- World Cleanup Day Australia (by No More Butts): September 20th in Australia (details soon to be announced)
- Water Lover Challenge (by Summit Foundation and Objectif Environnement): September 20th till 30th in Switzerland and France
- Taiwan (by government): 1 millions cigarette butts collected
History of No Butts Day
The action was first organised in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam in 2019, and quickly spread all over the Netherlands under the name ‘Plastic PeukMeuk’. In the years following the event spread around the world and citizens, businesses, governments, politicians, scientists and NGOs in 13 other countries participated, including Australia, Israel, Argentina, Canada, Portugal and the US. The initiator is the Plastic Peuken Collectief (Plastic Cigarette Butt Collective), a partnership of businesses, environmental organizations and litter pickers. The coordinator of No Butts Day, Bernadette Hakken, also known as ‘Ms. Cigarette Butt‘, has been picking up cigarette filters almost daily for seven years: “Now is the time to work together globally towards a ban, because cleaning up is an impossible and unaffordable task. We have seen that time and time again on No Butts Day.”
Filters or butts?
You might wonder what the difference is between cigarette filters and cigarette butts: cigarette butts are cigarette filters in their waste stage. They’re the same product, but in a different stage of its ‘life’.
Social media posts about No Butts Day: LinkedIn & Instagram
You can help increase the pressure on governments. Support the call for an international ban on plastic cigarette filters as an individual and/or organisation and let it be heard that you too would like to get rid of plastic cigarette filter pollution! Sign the ”Support the call”-form.
#NoButtsDay #PlasticPeukMeuk #NoPlasticFilter