“Portugal is not an Ashtray” is a project / campaign, submitted in the Portugal’s Participatory Budgeting , with the goal of alerting the consciences and appealing to the population’s awareness regarding the consequences of the undue placement of cigarette buds on the ground. This comes as no surprise, as today’s youth are heavily focused on ecology, slowliving and sustainability, for a better world and the preservation of the environment. Movements like these are born, grow and gain more influence every day.
It is no news to anyone that the streets of Portugal, for many years, have been “decorated” by cigarette buds on the ground. It is, in fact, a problem that reaches worldly proportions, which leads to a need for a deep and urgent change.
Ricardo Rodrigues, who started this campaign with his wife and children, makes trips with them to clean the streets, serving as an example for all of us. According to Ricardo “this project must be approached in two different ways: through volunteers and educators”.
The reason that cigarette buds are a serious environmental harm, lies in their composition, since “the cigarette filter is made from cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that can remain in the environment indefinitely.”
In fact, statistics show that only 38% of the buds, under certain conditions of great exposure to the elements, begin to lose their mass, and even so, only after two years.
© ZEE NewsThe environment is not the only one to be harmed, the marine fauna also feels this terrible impact, because the chemicals that make up the buds are highly toxic, polluting the sea and affecting the beings that live there.
In Portugal, according to the Tax Authority, 11 billion cigarettes were sold during the year 2017, and this number is not expected to decrease, and the problem worsens every day. Due to the 2007 Tobacco Act, smokers are no longer able to smoke indoors to safeguard people who do not smoke and have no intention of being struck by tobacco smoke. This has meant that smokers, forced to smoke on the streets with nowhere to put their buds in, and without any information about the consequences of their actions, simply throw the buds on the floor.
The project “Portugal is not an Ashtray” is therefore trying to fight the harm caused during all these years of negligence and prevent this from happening any further.
To this end, its main goals are:
- Creating a campaign that sensitizes the population about the impact that cigarette buds cause on the environment;
- Placing ashtrays in places where people can flow;
- Distributing informative leaflets alerting the population who is not yet aware of the negative outcomes caused by cigarette buds, as well as raising volunteers to clean the places with the greatest impact;
- Putting ashtrays around spaces such as hotels, restaurants and cafes, etc.
“Portugal is not an Ashtray” is on Facebook, where information is published about the damages caused by cigarettes, as well as photos of the buds all over the streets. They are followed by 215 people and they want the word spread out by the widest possible audience.
According to Ricardo, the volunteers are mostly young (8 – 12 years). Younger people learn the importance of this situation more quickly and help create a greater sensitivity to the cause.
The budget for this campaign is 150 thousand euros and, within 24 months, it aims to fulfill all its essential points and make a difference with the help of the national population.
© Tobacco Free CAIt is a very recent project that aspires to raise awareness and alert to the theme, making Portugal a cleaner and more unpolluted country. For this, it needs the help of everyone who is sensitive to environmental and ecological issues and who knows that there is indeed a real social concern.
At the moment, there is still no way for the buds to be recycled, but Ricardo Rodrigues continues to investigate possible solutions.
In my opinion as a non-smoker, I respect the differences. But like all citizens, I am affected by the smell, the degradation of the environment and the quality of life. The Lisbon’s streets of are covered with cigarette buds and chewing gum, the floors of the Portuguese sidewalks ‘’decorated’’ with this dirt.
But all this can change.
We all have the possibility to help Portugal become “clean” again.
