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Cigarette butts of a major Brazilian city linked to deprivation and urban infrastructure
Summary
Researchers mapped the distribution of cigarette butt litter across nine sites in Guaruja, Brazil, and linked contamination patterns to socioeconomic deprivation and urban infrastructure. The study found that cigarette butts, a major source of microplastics and toxic leachates, were more concentrated in areas with higher deprivation levels, highlighting the intersection of social inequality and environmental pollution.
Cigarette butts (CBs) are the most common form of urban litter and a persistent source of microplastics and toxic leachates. However, their distribution within cities remains poorly quantified, especially in socioeconomically diverse areas. This study aimed assessing spatial patterns of CB contamination across nine highly urbanized sites in Guarujá (n = 3; area = 23,694 m), a major Brazilian city, integrating field surveys based on the human modification (HMc) linked with CBs density, pollutants leakage estimated by the Cigarette Butts Pollution Index (CBPI), and deprivation levels determined by the Global Gridded Relative Deprivation Index. From 4321 CBs collected, density averaged 0.19 ± 0.17 (0.01 - 0.68) CBs.m, and pollutant's leakage was severe (CBPI = 15.4 ± 11.5), both varying widely among sites (p < 0.05). Higher CBs densities were positively associated with economically disadvantaged areas (p = 0.0012, r = 0.59), commercial areas (p < 0.0001, r = 0.85), residential areas (p = 0.0002, r = 0.65), and cigarette-selling buildings (p < 0.0001, r = 0.75), and negatively associated with vegetation elements (p < 0.0001, r = - 0.7083). These findings demonstrate clear socio-environmental drivers of CB accumulation in these Brazilian urban settings with far-reaching implications to similar worldwide urban areas, and underscore the need for targeted, evidence-based urban management strategies that address structural inequalities and micro-environmental conditions influencing CB pollution.