A sign of greater environmental responsibility

BVTE supports Hörnum in the south of Sylt in disposing of cigarette waste

BERLIN // The Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE) has supported Tourismus-Service Hörnum in improving the disposal of cigarette waste on Sylt as part of its environmental campaign “I smoke & take care of the environment”.

BVTE Managing Director Jan Mücke, together with Mayor Udo Hanrieder and Simone Kluth from Hörnum Tourism Service, presented cigarette collection containers to set an example for more environmental responsibility and clean public spaces on Sylt.

In heavily frequented vacation resorts such as Hörnum in the south of the North Sea island, carelessly discarded cigarette filters repeatedly end up in nature – with negative consequences for the environment, animals and the townscape.

“With targeted measures like this, we want to motivate smokers to dispose of their waste responsibly,” emphasized Jan Mücke. “Throwing litter away carelessly, or littering for short, is a global problem. Litter in the environment affects the whole of society. Since the launch of our environmental campaign, we have supported numerous initiatives, associations, beach chair rental companies, local authorities and private individuals. Together, we can contribute to solving the environmental problem – every individual counts.”

Simone Kluth from Tourismus-Service Hörnum was also delighted with the cooperation: “For us as a vacation resort, a clean environment is essential. That’s why we are delighted about the support and rely on our guests’ sense of responsibility.”

The BVTE’s environmental campaign has been focusing on education and concrete solutions to reduce littering throughout Germany since 2020. Since then, one million reusable pocket ashtrays, collection containers, posters and flyers have been distributed – especially at tourist hotspots on the North and Baltic Seas.

On Sylt, the BVTE initiative is complemented by the island-wide “Klare Kante” campaign, which also distributes free can ashtrays to smokers. The campaign is supported by British American Tobacco in Germany, a member company of the BVTE, which, like all association members, attaches great importance to environmental protection.