Dear smokers, put your heart at peace and start familiarizing yourself with the hypothesis of a new increase in the price of cigarettes, tobacco and any smoking products. This time, however, the usual and abused increase in excise duties is not in sight: the fault lies with the gods cigarette butts. Or rather: ofincivility of those who throw butts everywhere (on the street, on the beach, in the meadows, in flower boxes), instead of leaving them in the ashtrays that are also found on the street, outside shops, in bathing establishments, parks and shopping centres.
But let's go in order. The bad habit of the uncontrolled abandonment of cigarette butts with consequent environmental impact has led some deputies to urge the government with a query to take action.
Well, the minister of ecological transition replies to them, Roberto Cingolani. The premise is that Municipalities and Provinces have competence both for control and for administrative sanctions.
Having said this, Cingolani addresses the issue of the recovery and recycling of cigarette butts by recalling the 2019/904 directive of the European Parliament of 5 June 2019, which provides for specific initiatives to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. Provision known as the "SUP Directive - Single Use Plastic".
But what connection is there between plastic, smoke, cigarette butts and a possible upward adjustment of prices? There is indeed a link, because – explains the minister – this directive envisages “among the contrasting measures the establishment of extended producer responsibility schemes precisely for filter tobacco products and filters marketed to be used in combination with tobacco products”.
And we come to the possible price increases. To be clear: "The provision provides that the producers of these products will have to bear both the costs of the awareness measures envisaged by the directive and the costs of removing the waste of these dispersed products and the subsequent transport and treatment", points out Cingolani. “It must therefore be ensured that producers cover the costs of waste collection of these products transferred to public collection systems, including the infrastructure and its operation and subsequent transport and treatment".
Now the question arises: how will producers of tobacco and related items bear these burdens? By putting them among the red figures in your balance sheets and therefore reducing profits? Or will they dump them on the final product and therefore on the prices of cigarettes, tobacco and various items for smokers?
The answer is not on the calendar either today or tomorrow, but in the meantime, maybe it's time for smokers to start thinking about quitting.
