Environmental Management Administration

June 5 is “World Environment Day” designated by the United Nations. The Ministry of Environment (MOENV), the Environmental Management Administration (EMA), and the Junior Chamber International Taiwan (JCI Taiwan) held the “Clean City Streets Project” award ceremony and presentation to showcase the results of “Cigarette butts off the ground.” Although a single cigarette butt seems insignificant, it contains microplastics and toxic chemical substances. If discarded carelessly, it easily pollutes water sources, oceans, and soil, and even enters the food chain, causing long-term impacts on humans and the ecology. Therefore, picking up one cigarette butt is the first step in guarding the environment and health.

To expand influences, the MOENV and JCI Taiwan signed the “Cigarette Butts Off the Ground to Beautify the Environment" memorandum of understanding on Jan. 12, 2025, initiating the “Clean City Streets Project.” This connected 153 JCI chapters across Taiwan, combining community and school partners to take to the streets and respond with action to the concepts of “Clean your own cigarette butts; no smoking while walking.” In just a short one and a half months since its beginning on April 15, 2025, over 860,000 cigarette butts were picked up across Taiwan, demonstrating its impact.

To encourage more youth participation, a presentation and award ceremony were held on World Environment Day to commend the most active JCI chapters and ambassadors, encouraging youth to become drivers of cultural change and deeply plant environmental concepts in people’s hearts. Additionally, over 11,000 cigarette butt collection facilities have been set up nationwide, and local environmental protection agencies have organized over 180 advocacy events. The number of cigarette butts collected has exceeded 18.8 million, further demonstrating the initiative’s impact.

From cigarette butts off the ground to clean streets, the hope is that this is not just a one-time event but a long-term cultural shift. In the future, MOENV will continue working with local governments and civil groups to expand the “Cigarette Butts Off the Ground” initiative from source facilities and behavior changes to educational advocacy, creating a sustainable living environment.