This year, the Clean-up (Affaldsindsamlingen), organized by the Danish Society for Nature Conservation (Danmarks Naturfredningsforening), has set a sad record with the discovery of 115,000 nicotine pouches in nature. This comes as a result of an increasing consumption of snus and nicotine products. The Clean-up, which took place from April 8 to 14, saw a record participation of 240,000 volunteers, who together collected 116 tons of waste. Charlotte Juul, project manager at the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, expresses concern over the large amount of nicotine pouches, which not only litter the environment but also pose a risk to wildlife. “Several dogs have already been poisoned by these pouches, and some cases have been fatal,” she says, emphasizing the seriousness of the problem.
A survey conducted by Epinion shows that two out of three Danes agree that waste from nicotine products is a growing problem. In light of this, Juul hopes that nicotine pouches will be included in the legislation on extended producer responsibility, which would impose a greater responsibility on manufacturers to clean up their products in nature. The Clean-up, which has been an annual event since 2006, aims to raise awareness about waste issues and change Danish waste management habits. “Through education and national campaigns, we can tackle the problem of waste in nature,” adds Juul, who sees the Clean-up as an important part of the solution.
With a hope that future clean-ups will show a decrease in the number of discarded nicotine pouches, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation continues their work to protect nature and inform the population about the importance of proper waste management.