KUALA LUMPUR: The United Nations has been urged to ban plastic-based cigarette filters by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca), as governments worldwide meet to negotiate a treaty on plastic pollution.

Seatca said the final round of negotiations in Geneva this week could either help Asean reverse the plastic pollution crisis or continue to pay US$10 billion (RM42 billion) to clean up toxic cigarette filters.

The regional health NGO added that Asean member states, except for Indonesia, are parties to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

According to Seatca, an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded globally each year, with 460 billion of those in Asean. These butts are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic that breaks down slowly into harmful microplastics. They also contain more than 7,000 chemicals, including nicotine and heavy metals, that can leach into the environment and harm ecosystems.

Seatca called for the treaty to include a polluter-pays principle, making tobacco manufacturers financially responsible for filter pollution and cleanup. The group also said the treaty should reference the WHO's FCTC, reject industry influence, and ensure consistent alignment between environmental and public health policies. It also called for independent and industry-free public awareness campaigns and mandatory collection and disposal systems for tobacco product waste.

The group highlighted that while eco-friendly alternatives exist for products like straws and bags, there are no sustainable alternatives for cigarette filters.

It said that products marketed by the tobacco industry as "eco-filters" or "green butts" are misleading because they still release tar, nicotine, and heavy metals into the environment and often only break down under industrial composting conditions.

Seatca said these "greenwashing tactics" must not fool negotiators, and that the treaty should include a comprehensive ban on all types of cigarette filters, not just plastic ones.

The group added that filters, developed in the 1950s to ease public fears about the health effects of smoking, have failed to protect health.