The US Surgeon General’s report of 1964 and the wealth of research that followed over the decades established the devastating health and economic impacts of tobacco on its users. However, the volume of the unaccounted tobacco products waste discharged into the environment gets very little attention.3 Because of its sheer volume and toxic nature it harms many marine and animal life forms and subsequently the humans, due to the contamination in the food chain and resulting biomagnification.3 South-east Asian region is home to 81% of the world’s smokeless tobacco users and 22% of adult smokers,4 amongst which, India alone caters to over 270 million active tobacco users. While many western countries have taken steps to ensure disposal of nicotine and related chemicals as hazardous wastes, under their policies for environmental protection, no such provisions classify tobacco product wastes separate from the municipal solid wastes in India.2 Existing WHO reports and published literature does indeed identify a major share of plastic, foil and filter waste related to cigarettes, bidis and smokeless tobacco products being disposed of into landfills and marine debris, contributing to discharge of microplastics, heavy metals and toxins,5,6 yet no previous attempts quantify such waste from a country specific perspective.
