Up in Smoke: Unveiling the Cigarette Butt Crisis on Seoul's Streets
Up in Smoke: Unveiling the Cigarette Butt Crisis on Seoul's Streets In the bustling streets of downtown Seoul, a prevalent yet often overlooked issue is taking center stage—rain gutters filled with discarded cigarette butts. Despite being a common sight, these remnants pose severe environmental problems, contributing to water damage and even igniting fires. The Ministry of Environment estimates that approximately 5.2 billion cigarette butts are discarded annually in Korea, roughly 7.25% of the 72.6 billion cigarettes sold. However, a stark contrast emerges when considering the World Health Organization's estimate, indicating that globally, 75% of the 6 trillion cigarettes produced annually are discarded without permission. Applying this standard, Korea's actual annual discarded cigarette butt count surges to 54 billion, more than 10 times higher than the ministry's estimate. Despite the substantial waste levies—amounting to over 89 billion won—collected from cigarette...