Asia > Eastern Asia > Taiwan Area > City becoming an ashtray for 4 billion cigarettes

Taiwan Area: City becoming an ashtray for 4 billion cigarettes

2013/06/11

Smokers in Taipei light up about 4 billion cigarettes a year, the Taipei City Government said yesterday, which means if discarded cigarette butts were stacked one on top of the other the height would rise 40,000 times taller than the 509-meter-tall Taipei 101.

Presently, just imagine if that cigarette-butt tower toppled over and was strewn throughout city streets: that's the problem the Taipei City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is facing. In light of the immense number of cigarettes being smoked in the city, the DEP is urging people to protect the environment by not dumping cigarettes on the streets or other public areas.

The DEP said according to statistics, most people dump cigarettes on drain covers, in the vicinity of bus, train or MRT stations, or in commercial areas, noting that from January to April, the city government has issued over 3,698 citations for littering.

The department said Monday was Non-smoking Day in Taiwan, noting that the Taipei City Government sent environmental officials on a city-wide patrol, issuing 136 tickets for littering cigarettes butts on the day — that's 4.4 times higher than the usual.

Wu Sheng-chung (吳盛忠), commissioner of the DEP, said even though the size of a cigarette butt is small and slim, it can still contaminate drainage systems.

Wu urged people not to discard cigarettes on the streets or in any other public areas in the city as it can harm the environment inclunding Taipei City's image, noting that there are designated places throughout the city where people can toss butts, such as trash cans.

According to Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) article 27 and 50, the act of dumping cigarette butts outside of such designated areas carries a fine between NT$1,200 and NT$1,600.

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