A sweeping ban on smoking in outdoor public spaces is expected to help stub out the scourge of cigarette butts – France’s most common form of litter – from beaches, parks and bus stops.
Issued on: 01/07/2025 -
A discarded cigarette butt lies on the sand at La Ciotat beach near Marseille, southern France. A new outdoor smoking ban aims to keep beaches like this free of littered filters. AP - Jacques Brinon
By: Amanda Morrow
The new rules, which came into effect at the weekend, prohibit smoking on beaches during bathing season, in public parks, and at bus stops during operating hours.
Smokers are also barred from lighting up near schools, libraries, swimming pools and sports grounds. Anyone caught breaking the ban faces a fine of €135, which can rise to €750 for serious cases.
Tonnes of waste
Each year French smokers toss away up to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts – more than twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower.
The filters are made of plastic, not cotton, and break apart into tiny fibres that leach chemicals into soil and water.
By stopping cigarette litter at the source, the ban should make a noticeable difference, said Chris Dorsett, vice president of conservation at Ocean Conservancy.
The US-based non-profit, which works to protect the world’s oceans, has run its International Coastal Cleanup – a global network of volunteers who collect rubbish from beaches and waterways – since 1986.
Calls for France to follow UK with generational tobacco ban
In that time more than 63 million cigarette butts have been collected worldwide. In Europe alone, more than 320,000 were picked up from coasts and waterways last year.
“Cigarette butts are unfortunately a problem across the globe in terms of the number we find,” Dorsett said.
“The two big problems are that they are made up of microplastics that break down into smaller pieces and pose a problem for marine wildlife.
“Microplastics can interfere with the digestive systems of fish species.”
The butts also leak nicotine, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals into sand and water. According to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 litres of water.
France’s new outdoor smoking ban aims to keep beaches and parks free of discarded filters like this. AP - Denis Poroy
Single-use plastic
The filters in cigarette butts are classed as single-use plastics under EU rules.
While the EU has not banned cigarette filters outright, it does make tobacco companies pay for clean-ups under the “polluter pays” rule.
France was the first EU country to force this cost onto the industry, but local councils still spend about €100 million each year clearing up discarded butts.
Environmental groups say many smokers still see filters as harmless waste rather than plastic pollution – something Ocean Conservancy wants to change.
Cigarette butts, the plastic pollution that's hiding in plain sight
Few people realise that filters are plastic waste, said Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy’s director of plastics policy.
“Many people are surprised to learn that cigarette butts are also single-use plastics. In fact, they are the most common single-use plastic found polluting beaches and waterways worldwide,” Brandon said.
Bans can be an effective tool – especially when combined with other awareness measures, she added.
“When it comes to preventing plastic pollution, we know that bans work. A recent study that analysed plastic bag bans showed these policies lead to a 25 to 47 percent reduction in plastic bag pollution on beaches and waterways where they are implemented.”
'Smoke-free generation'
France wants to create a “smoke-free generation” by 2032 – meaning fewer than 5 percent of 18-year-olds smoking daily. The main aim of the ban is to protect children from second-hand smoke, said French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin.
France has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe, with about 23 percent of adults lighting up every day and around 15 percent of 17-year-olds smoking regularly.
In Paris alone, about two billion cigarette butts end up on the streets each year. Despite the “polluter pays” rule, clean-up costs remain high and awareness is still lacking.
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“It’s easy to toss a cigarette butt on the beach or into the water,” Dorsett explained. “But when people know these generate microplastics, leach chemicals and that children play on the beach, that’s when we see changes in behaviour.”
Environmental groups, however, want France to go further. Café terraces are not included in the new ban and electronic cigarettes are still allowed.
Dorsett said he hopes France’s move will push other countries to act too.
“When countries or municipalities have the courage to take these kinds of measures, you tend to find that others will as well,” he said.
France rethinks smoking as new public ban comes into effect
France is rolling out sweeping new restrictions on smoking in public spaces in a bid to tackle one of the country’s most stubborn health challenges.
Issued on: 29/06/2025 - RFI
More than 200 people die each day in France from tobacco-related illness, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said on Saturday – a stark figure that underlines the government’s latest push to clear the air.
A new decree, published at the weekend, will see smoking banned in all public parks, beaches, sports grounds and at bus stops from this Sunday.
The rules will also apply near schools and in other public areas where children might gather.
The move is part of a wider effort to reduce smoking-related harm, with Vautrin describing tobacco use as a major public health challenge.
Posting on X, Vautrin stated: "Starting this Sunday, new tobacco-free zones will be officially established throughout France ... This is a decisive step in our commitment to protecting our children and building a tobacco-free generation."
Calls for France to follow UK with generational tobacco ban
Tackling the sterotype
The new rules come as part of a broader campaign to curb smoking in a country where tobacco has long been culturally embedded – glorified in cinema and often associated with a certain French flair.
Despite existing bans in bars, restaurants and public buildings since 2007–2008, smoking remains common, with over 30 percent of adults still lighting up regularly – among the highest rates in Europe.
The Health Ministry is particularly concerned about young people. Around 15 percent of 17-year-olds still smoke, and black-market sales of cigarettes continue to be a problem.
Philippe Bergerot, president of the French League Against Cancer, said the aim is not to punish smokers, but to “denormalise” the habit. “In people’s minds, smoking is normal,” he said. “We’re not banning smoking altogether – just in certain places where it could affect people’s health or influence young people.”
French cinema still addicted to on-screen smoking, survey shows
Mixed reactions
Still, reactions to the new measures have been mixed. In a Paris park, Natacha Uzan said she supported the ban in restaurants but felt the move outdoors might be going too far. “Now outside, in parks, I find it becoming a bit repressive.”
But for Anabelle Cermell, mother to a 3-month-old baby, the change is welcome. “I tell myself, oh, it’s really not ideal for him,” she said. “But there’s not much I can do about it, unless I avoid the bus or parks altogether.”
The government had initially announced the new rules would take effect on 1 July, but Saturday’s decree makes it official ahead of that date, with further guidance on the specific zones to follow shortly.
Importantly, electronic cigarettes will not be covered by the new restrictions.
Elsewhere in Europe, some countries have gone further still.
The UK and Sweden have already tightened public smoking rules, while Spain is planning to ban smoking on café and restaurant terraces – areas not included in France’s latest measures.
(With Wires)
France is rolling out sweeping new restrictions on smoking in public spaces in a bid to tackle one of the country’s most stubborn health challenges.
Issued on: 29/06/2025 - RFI
A man stubs out a cigarette in a public ashtray in Paris. France will see smoking banned in all public parks, beaches, sports grounds and at bus stops from this Sunday, 29 June 2025. AP - Jacques Brinon
More than 200 people die each day in France from tobacco-related illness, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said on Saturday – a stark figure that underlines the government’s latest push to clear the air.
A new decree, published at the weekend, will see smoking banned in all public parks, beaches, sports grounds and at bus stops from this Sunday.
The rules will also apply near schools and in other public areas where children might gather.
The move is part of a wider effort to reduce smoking-related harm, with Vautrin describing tobacco use as a major public health challenge.
France currently sees around 75,000 tobacco-related deaths each year.
Posting on X, Vautrin stated: "Starting this Sunday, new tobacco-free zones will be officially established throughout France ... This is a decisive step in our commitment to protecting our children and building a tobacco-free generation."
Calls for France to follow UK with generational tobacco ban
Tackling the sterotype
The new rules come as part of a broader campaign to curb smoking in a country where tobacco has long been culturally embedded – glorified in cinema and often associated with a certain French flair.
Despite existing bans in bars, restaurants and public buildings since 2007–2008, smoking remains common, with over 30 percent of adults still lighting up regularly – among the highest rates in Europe.
The Health Ministry is particularly concerned about young people. Around 15 percent of 17-year-olds still smoke, and black-market sales of cigarettes continue to be a problem.
Philippe Bergerot, president of the French League Against Cancer, said the aim is not to punish smokers, but to “denormalise” the habit. “In people’s minds, smoking is normal,” he said. “We’re not banning smoking altogether – just in certain places where it could affect people’s health or influence young people.”
French cinema still addicted to on-screen smoking, survey shows
Mixed reactions
Still, reactions to the new measures have been mixed. In a Paris park, Natacha Uzan said she supported the ban in restaurants but felt the move outdoors might be going too far. “Now outside, in parks, I find it becoming a bit repressive.”
But for Anabelle Cermell, mother to a 3-month-old baby, the change is welcome. “I tell myself, oh, it’s really not ideal for him,” she said. “But there’s not much I can do about it, unless I avoid the bus or parks altogether.”
The government had initially announced the new rules would take effect on 1 July, but Saturday’s decree makes it official ahead of that date, with further guidance on the specific zones to follow shortly.
Importantly, electronic cigarettes will not be covered by the new restrictions.
Elsewhere in Europe, some countries have gone further still.
The UK and Sweden have already tightened public smoking rules, while Spain is planning to ban smoking on café and restaurant terraces – areas not included in France’s latest measures.
(With Wires)
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