Smokers in Paris Will Now be Slapped with Bigger Fines for Discarding Cigarette Butts

From today, smokers in Paris will face heftier fines for discarding cigarette butts on the streets, under new regulations designed to make the city an even cleaner and more beautiful place.

Previously, smokers who threw their cigarette butts on the floor faced a fine of €35, but today’s increase has seen that almost double to €68.

It’s all part of Paris Town Hall’s cleanliness tsar Mao Peninou’s fight against cigarettes and the mess they cause on the French capital’s streets. And with 350 tonnes of mégots, as they are known in French, collected each year in Paris, it’s a fight that really needs a focussed strategy.

"These fines aims to give Parisians and visitors a sense of responsibility so that they also become actors in keeping the city clean," said Peninou.

But city officials are taking a two-pronged approach to the problem and also rolling out 30,000 new ashtray bins to encourage smokers to discard their cigarette butts responsibly. In addition, the city’s current “green brigade”, which consists of 100 people at present, will also be expanded going forward.

"Solutions exist and must be implemented," said Peninou. "For example, the installation of mobile ashtrays front of the buildings, placing ashtrays on tables in outdoor areas where smoking is allowed."

Cafes and bars across the city will also be encouraged by officials to raise awareness of the new fines to ensure further adherence.

It’s yet another example of how officials in Paris are committed to keeping the city clean and ensuring that it remains at the top of the tourism charts in the future.