Swiss Liberal Greens want less polluting cigarette filters

Around 1,000 tonnes of cigarette butts are discarded on the ground in Switzerland each year. The Green Liberal Party wants the federal government to do more to tackle the problem, including encouraging tobacco companies to redesign cigarette filters, reported RTS. Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com Most filters are made from cellulose acetate, a polymer also used in the textile industry. In other words, they are a form of plastic. A cigarette butt can take up to 15 years to break down, releasing microplastics as it does so. These can enter water and soil and, eventually, the food chain. Céline Weber, a Green Liberal member of parliament…