Tobacco Product Waste White Paper

Principal Investigator

Thomas Novotny, MD, MPH, DSc (Hon)

Co-Investigators

Stella Bialous, BSN, MS, MPH, DrPH

Kyra Hill, JD

Laila Hamzai, MPH

Marc Beutel, PhD

Eunha Hoh, PhD

Jeremiah Mock, MSc, PhD

Georg Matt, PhD

Project funded by 

California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) & California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

Project Summary

The goal of this project is to produce a white paper targeted toward decision-makers and public health advocates. It will: (1) summarize the effects of tobacco product waste on the environment and humans; (2) describe the role tobacco product waste may play in contributing to social disorder and stress in urban and disadvantaged communities; (3) describe the role of the tobacco and vape industry in producing and maintaining tobacco product waste; and, (4) include recommendations for action that focus on upstream solutions that go beyond anti-litter campaigns and ash can approaches to the tobacco product waste problem. The White Paper will coalesce existing research from peer-reviewed literature, government reports, organizational reports, tobacco industry documents, and other sources, in addition to conducting key informant interviews with subject matter experts.

The White Paper and its appendices can be accessed by clicking the links below: