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San Francisco May Adopt Cigarette Butt Cleanup Tax

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May 20, 2009 12:13 am US/Pacific

San Francisco May Adopt Cigarette Butt Cleanup Tax

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom thinks smokers should pay what it costs the city to clean up discarded cigarette butts.

Newsom on Tuesday proposed a new 33-cents-per-pack fee on cigarettes sold in San Francisco to cover the expense.

He said that a review earlier this year found that tobacco-related trash made up one-fourth of all the garbage removed from city sidewalks and gutters.

"All litter creates unnecessary costs for the city and its taxpayers," said Newsom. "Cigarette butts are a big part of the problem."

According to the mayor's office, the city spends more than $44 million each year on litter cleanup, $10.7 million on cigarette butts alone.
 
Newsom also said his proposal would help clean up benzene and toxic heavy metals found in cigarette butts that can leach into groundwater or the marine environment.

The city is doing a study to determine how high to set the proposed fee, but a preliminary estimate puts it around 33 cents.

The fee, which would only be used to recoup cleanup costs, is different from a tax, which goes into the city's general fund and can be used for any purpose, according to the mayor's office.

The mayor's plan, which Newsom said he'll include in his June 1 budget proposal, would have to be approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to take effect.

Last year, the city adopted a law outlawing the sale of cigarettes in drug stores.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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