Alcome is a new organisation funded by tobacco companies with the aim of reducing the number of discarded cigarette butts by 40 per cent over six year, reports The Connexion.

Billions of cigarette butts are dropped each year allowing harmful chemicals to enter the soil and taking decades to decompose. The French government had already announced that tobacco companies would have to pick up the bill for discarded butts and the damage they cause and Alcome has been formed to put this into practice, according to The Connexion.
Among other things, the organisation will collect money from tobacco firms that will be used for clean-up operations that Alcome will oversee. It will also organize the installation of street ashtrays and manage public service advertising campaigns with the aim to reduce the number of discarded butts by 40 per cent within six years.
“Once the butts have been collected, they will be incinerated, as we believe that to be the best solution,” said Alcome’s spokeswoman Sofia Fardjallah. She does not believe that cigarette prices will be affected by the initiative but said that it was important smokers became aware of the problem.
“At the moment, smokers aren’t necessarily conscious of the repercussions of throwing away cigarette ends. So this programme is not just about cleaning up, but also about raising awareness. You can’t just tidy up and believe that the job is done,” she said.