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AAP
AAP
Environment
Poppy Johnston

Butt it out: cigarettes dominate yearly litter count

Pip Kiernan Australia Clean Up Australia Environment
Cigarette butts have unseated soft plastics as the most prevalent item tossed on the ground. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

More cigarette butts ended up in Australian waterways, bushland, parks and streets than any other litter item in 2025.

Making up nearly one quarter of all litter collected by Clean Up Australia volunteers for an annual survey, the pervasive source of waste unseated soft plastics as the most prevalent item tossed on the ground.

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