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Spain forces tobacco companies to pay cost of cleaning up cigarette butts

A new law has come into force in Spain forcing tobacco companies to pay for the cost of cleaning up cigarette butts. Millions are thrown away every day in public places.聽 The UN calls them the most discarded waste item on the planet. They're hard to clear up - and they're toxic.

Ecologist Dr Danielle Green from Anglia Ruskin University has studied the impact of cigarette butt waste on plant growth and told Newshour's Paul Henley how harmful they are to our ecosystems.

Photo shows: Cigarette butts are left on the floor outside a pub in Ronda, Spain, October 13, 2022. Credit: Reuters

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