Cigarette butts are the most littered item in Australia with 8.9 billion of them collected each year in clean-ups.
The latest Clean Up Australia Litter Report, released today, said that plastics represented 80.8 percent of litter found in streets, parks, bushland and waterways.
Cigarette butts, which contained plastic, were the “most littered” individual item, representing 23.6 percent of all litter counted.
“It is troubling to see that cigarette butts now represent nearly a quarter of all litter collected, with an estimated 8.9 billion butts littered in Australia every year,” Clean Up Australia Chair Pip Kiernan said.
“Many in our community don’t know that the butts are actually made of plastic, and when littered, they shed microfibres, leach toxic waste, and take up to 30 years to decompose.”
Ms Kiernan said her organisation was again bringing attention to the litter problem ahead of Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday, March 1,
She said soft plastics remained a significant problem, representing 30.5 percent of all litter categories.
“Packaging continues to be a persistent challenge, representing 59.5 percent of all reported litter during the year,” she said.
“Of the individual items, cigarette butts have surged to claim the top position, overtaking soft plastics wrappers (18.6 percent), followed by plastic bags (8.7 percent).”
Takeaway coffee cups increased as a proportion of total litter, rising from 2.8 percent in FY24 to 4.3 percent in FY25.
Vapes continued their “concerning rise”, being found at 33.9 percent of surveyed sites.
“Australia’s plastic consumption is increasing. In 2000, we consumed 1.79 million tonnes of plastic,” Ms Kiernan said.
“By 2024, this had risen to 3.97 million tonnes, a 122 percent increase.”
“Systemic change through policy and industry reform is essential, and grassroots community action continues to be paramount.”
Clean Up Australia’s Litter Report FY25 and national and state-based fact sheets can be viewed here.
You can register to take part in Clean Up Australia Day at here.
