BALTIMORE — The City of Baltimore and Mayor Brandon Scott have announced the joint filing of a lawsuit against cigarette manufacturers for cleanup costs associated with tobacco product litter.
According to a release from the City of Baltimore, the city spends over $32 million annually to collect upwards of 2,600 tons of litter, which also includes $5.3 million spent mitigating cigarette filter litter.
“This is the first litter lawsuit against cigarette manufacturers, and Baltimore is proud to lead the way in ensuring that these companies pay for cleanup costs that for decades they have offloaded on communities like ours,” said Mayor Scott.
The Department of Public Works provides trash disposal in the city, but according to city officials, their budget has been stretched thin by the millions of dollars spent clearing sewage and draining pipes of clogs from cigarette filters.
“The same tobacco companies that for decades failed to acknowledge the health risks of their products are now refusing to take responsibility for cigarette butt waste,” said Baltimore City Solicitor James L. Shea. “We believe this lawsuit will hold Big Tobacco accountable for the damage its product causes to the City’s streets and waterways.”
The City of Baltimore's lawsuit seeks to recover expenditures and losses resulting from cigarette filter litter in the city, including cleanup and disposal costs, damage to natural resources, diminution, in property values, loss of revenue , and substantial fines for dumping litter in the city.
