What's Happening?
On June 10, 2025, the Santa Cruz City Council will vote on a proposal to ban the sale of filtered tobacco products.
City officials claim this will reduce cigarette litter—but in reality, the ordinance does not address litter at all. It bans only the sale of filtered products, doing nothing to clean up existing waste.
Even worse, if passed:
- Only unfiltered cigarettes—significantly more harmful—will remain legal
- Small businesses will lose legal sales, driving customers to neighboring cities or the illicit market
Santa Cruz will lose tax revenue that funds important health and environmental programs.
Why This Matters — Even If You Don’t Smoke
This isn’t just a tobacco issue—it’s a public health and economic policy mistake.
- Banning filtered products pushes smokers toward more dangerous options.
- Small businesses lose legitimate sales that are instead captured by the illicit market—an outcome the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control warns is likely when legal access is restricted without effective enforcement.4
- Meanwhile, Santa Cruz forfeits tax revenue that supports public services.
- And contrary to assumptions, cigarette litter is not the top waste issue. In nearby Capitola, cigarette butts ranked #4 in beach cleanups—plastic food wrappers and foam containers came first 1.
Health Risk
Only unfiltered, more harmful cigarettes would be left on shelves.
No Litter Fix
The ordinance doesn’t reduce or manage actual cigarette waste.
Economic Loss
Small businesses are punished, and city tax funds are cut.
What's At Stake
Public Health
✗ Filtered options removed — leaves only more harmful unfiltered products
✗ Pushes smokers toward greater health risks
Local Economy
✗ Harms Santa Cruz small businesses
✗ Reduces city tax revenue used for healthcare, education, and waste programs
✗ Drives tobacco sales to neighboring cities or the illicit market
We Need Better Solutions — Not Bans
Santa Cruz is already equipped to address tobacco litter without banning legal products or harming public health.
Why this approach makes sense for Santa Cruz:
- The city already follows a Zero Waste strategy, emphasizing the “4Rs”—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot
- Santa Cruz’s curbside collection system separates recyclables, organics, and landfill trash7
- The Safe Drug and Sharps Disposal Ordinance proves Santa Cruz can manage waste through producer-funded, public-facing collection programs6
- Santa Cruz County has achieved a 75% waste diversion rate, demonstrating the effectiveness of programs like GreenWaste Recovery and public education initiatives in reducing landfill waste8
- A similar approach could be used for cigarette litter, just as it's been done for sharps, pharmaceuticals, and single-use plastics
- Installing ash receptacles alone has led to a 5.5% increase in proper cigarette disposal 5
- Educational campaigns have been shown to reduce cigarette litter by 50% or more 2
- TerraCycle's Cigarette Waste Brigade, in partnership with tobacco companies, turns cigarette butts into industrial products like pallets and benches 3
50% Reduction in Cigarette Litter
in communities using Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.
- Strategic ash bin placement
- Community education
- Cigarette butt recycling into useful materials
These programs reduce actual litter without harming small businesses—or banning legal products. And since cigarette waste isn’t even the top beach litter in Capitola, this approach is more targeted and effective.
“Santa Cruz already leads in zero-waste and public health. We don’t need a ban on filtered tobacco—we need to expand the smart systems we already have.”
- California Fuels + Convenience Alliance
Take Action Today!
Fill out this quick form and a pre-written email will automatically be sent to your Santa Cruz City Council representative.
Let them know:
“I oppose this ordinance because it bans filtered tobacco and leaves only unfiltered cigarettes—the most harmful option—available. It will hurt small businesses and cut funding from vital local services. Santa Cruz deserves smarter solutions.”
Click here to take action now →
Or join us in person: June 10, 2025, at Santa Cruz City Hall
The City of Santa Cruz is also gathering input on tobacco litter strategies via this official survey.
Citations & Reference Materials
1 City of Capitola. (2022, October 27). Staff report: Consideration of ordinance prohibiting the sale of tobacco products with single-use filters [Agenda item report]. https://mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/capitolaca-meet-96f8240639a8451f8dbc85a4ee9b4595/ITEM-Attachment-001-626a49a9c76449649f0fd25cd5fec63f.pdf
2 Clean Virginia Waterways. (n.d.). Cigarette litter prevention tips. Longwood University. https://lake.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/Cigarette%20Butt%20Litter%20Prevention%20Tips.pdf
3 PR News. (2013, March 11). Case study: TerraCycle teams with tobacco company for cigarette waste collection effort—No ifs, ands or butts about it. PR News. https://www.prnewsonline.com/case-study-terracycle-teams-with-tobacco-company-for-cigarette-waste-collection-effortno-ifs-ands-or-butts-about-it
4 World Health Organization. (2013). Protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/80873/9789241505246_eng.pdf
5 Waste Advantage Magazine. (n.d.). Recycling case study: Cigarette butts. Waste Advantage Magazine. Retrieved from https://wasteadvantagemag.com/cigarette-butt-recycling/
6 Santa Cruz County. (n.d.). Chapter 7.95 - Safe drug and sharps disposal. Santa Cruz County Code. Retrieved from https://wasteadvantagemag.com/cigarette-butt-recycling/
7 GreenWaste Recovery. (n.d.). Santa Cruz County. Retrieved May 20, 2025, from https://wasteadvantagemag.com/cigarette-butt-recycling/
8 Santa Cruz County Grand Jury. (2015). Composting Organic Waste in Santa Cruz County: Time for a Regional Solution. Retrieved from https://wasteadvantagemag.com/cigarette-butt-recycling/