From cigarette butts to snus: shifting trends in urban litter

In 2024, snus accounted for 21 per cent of all litter in cities where waste measurements were carried out, making it the second most common type of litter. Cigarette butts still top the statistics at 49 per cent, but the trend is clear: cigarette butt litter is decreasing, down from 52 per cent in the year 2023, while snus litter has risen from 17 per cent to 21 per cent in the same period. Of the snus litter collected in 2024, 65 per cent consisted of tobacco-free nicotine pouches, with traditional brown snus making up the remaining 35 per cent.

Environmental concerns linked to snus and cigarette butts

Both snus and cigarette butts contain toxic substances, including heavy metals and nicotine, which harm the environment. They also contain small amounts of plastic, which prevents them from fully decomposing. This results in long-term pollution and can pose a serious threat to wildlife, as animals may mistake them for food. Consuming these products can lead to nicotine poisoning, gastrointestinal blockages, or choking.

Over time, cigarette butts and snus pouches break down into microplastics, which present a long-term threat that can gradually impact animal health and bioaccumulate higher up the food chain.

The rise of white snus among youth

Tobacco-free nicotine pouches, often referred to as white snus, are gaining popularity, particularly among young people. Data from The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN) shows that nicotine pouches accounted for 16 per cent of snus sales in Sweden in 2021, increasing to 25 per cent by 2022.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden reports that nicotine pouch use is most prevalent among young women. Among those aged 16–29, 18 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men reported using these products either daily or occasionally.

Among ninth-grade students, the share who had tried nicotine pouches increased from 18 per cent in 2021 to 28 per cent in 2023. Among high school students, this figure increased from 34 per cent to 44 per cent during the same period according to data from CAN.

Despite being marketed as tobacco-free, nicotine pouches contain high levels of nicotine derived from tobacco, warns the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

Snus users admit to littering more often than others

Young adults are more likely to admit to littering. While only 1 in 10 Swedes confess to discarding litter, the figure rises to 2 in 10 among 18–34-year-olds. For snus users, the proportion is even higher – a full 25 per cent acknowledge littering in the past year, based on a 2024 report by Keep Sweden Tidy on littering behaviour.

Limited awareness about plastic in tobacco products

The same report on littering behaviour also reveals a lack of public awareness about plastic content in tobacco products. While 55 per cent of Swedes know or suspect that cigarette butts contain plastic, only 37 per cent are aware that also snus pouches include plastic.

Impact of tax changes

On November 1, 2024, Sweden reduced the tax on traditional brown snus by 20 per cent, while increasing the tax on cigarettes by 9 per cent. Meanwhile, the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive introduced requirements for producers of certain plastic products, such as cigarette butts, to bear the costs of litter management. However, snus is not covered by this producer responsibility.

Keep Sweden Tidy warns that the reduced tax on snus could lead to increased sales and, consequently, more litter. As snus is not included under producer responsibility, tobacco manufacturers are not held accountable for the growing number of snus pouches that end up in the environment

Cigarette butts and snus pouches may seem insignificant in size, but they still have a negative impact on the environment. With increasing snus sales, we need to step up efforts to prevent littering and keep nature clean.

The article is written by

Cecilia Liedberg, Public Relations Manager, Keep Sweden Tidy

on the request of PopNAD