By Anna Coon | KDVR
DENVER (KDVR) — The city of Denver has filed suit against major tobacco companies, arguing that cigarette manufacturers should pay the cost of cleaning up the thousands of cigarette butts thrown onto city property each year.
“Our data says that almost 25% of all the litter we collect is made up of cigarette butts,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said. “So, think about it as a quarter of the total cost the city spends to do trash pickup, is filled with these cigarette butts.”
The city is suing 9 major tobacco manufacturers, including Philip Morris and Reynolds American, along with Colorado Springs-based distributor Peerless Products.
The 72-page lawsuit argues that cigarette butts have long clogged city streets and stormwater drains and entered waterways. The lawsuit claims manufacturers knew that would happen because cigarette filters are designed to be discarded after smoking and are not biodegradable.
Johnston said the city believes manufacturers should be responsible for the cleanup costs and wants cigarette filters redesigned into something biodegradable.
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