The project Addressing the global environmental impact of cigarette butt litter led by Dr Kylie Morphett and colleagues has received funding from UQ’s Global Strategy and Partnerships Seed Funding Scheme (Round 2, 2023). Starting in 2024, this project will bring together experts in environmental health, microplastics, tobacco control and waste management from Australia and Indonesia.
The partnership aims to develop new ways of measuring the impact of tobacco-related litter and to identify research gaps to inform globally effective policies, through collaboration between researchers at The University of Queensland and the University of Indonesia.
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, releasing toxic ingredients and microplastics into the soil and ocean. This major threat to the environment requires international collaboration for the development of strategies to address tobacco-related waste in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries.
The opportunity provided by UQ's Global Strategy and Partnership Seed Funding Scheme will enable collaborations and allow researchers from The University of Queensland and the University of Indonesia to share their knowledge and research skills. Planned activities include a joint symposium that will bring together global leaders in public and environmental health to increase understanding of the issue of tobacco-related litter. Furthermore, joint supervision of students, funding applications and co-authored publications are planned for this project.
The project will result in important collaborative research on the global problem of cigarette butt litter as well as facilitating student and staff mobility between countries, fostering stronger links between universities.
