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Resident urges city to treat cigarette butts as toxic waste and pursue producer-responsibility rules
Summary
A member of a county tobacco-control coalition asked council to add policies to the city's TRL (trash/recycling/land use) to require producer-responsibility fees and take-back programs for e-cigarettes and disposable filters.
During the meeting's general public-comment period, a resident and County Tobacco Control Coalition member asked the council to consider local policy steps to address toxic tobacco waste. Peggy Walker told council her youth group is studying how cigarette filters contaminate ocean water and recommended three steps: extended producer-responsibility fees for tobacco products, phasing out cellulose-acetate filters, and requiring take-back programs for disposable e-cigarettes.
Walker cited research on microplastic and chemical contamination and asked the council to consider adding such policies to the city's TRL. "Each [filter] is a capsule of microplastic and chemicals capable of contaminating up to 500 liters of water," Walker said. Council took the comment as a referral for staff consideration under general public comment.
