Nicotine Pouches and Returning to Tradition

As someone who lives in a desert, grass is a rare luxury. This means that most businesses fill their lawns and garden with decorative rocks, sand, and scrubby plants. Lately I have noticed a common item in these rocky plots; litter. Not just any litter mind you, but a recurring theme, not found in years previous. What could this be you ask? The increasingly popular nicotine pouch. Whether it be Zyn, Alps, Rogue, or whatever the next big trend is, you know what I’m talking about. Small, white, synthetic pouches containing fillers, sweeteners, nicotine, and more.

These products have skyrocketed in popularity, nearly quadrupling sales over a three year period to 808 million in 2022 (https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/nicotine-pouches/index.html). Since nicotine pouches aren’t edible, and don’t disintegrate with use, they have to go somewhere. Ideally, that is the trash can, but my experience shows proper disposal is only sometimes performed. Instead, users flick their spent pouches into rocks, onto the street, into toilets, and more. It seems like at least once per month my workplace’s toilets need repair due to improper pouch disposal. Our once semi-attractive desert landscaping is now peppered with the little white bags, waiting for someone else to clean up the mess.

Environmental Impacts of Nicotine Pouches

This made me sit back and begin to think; What is worse for the user, and the environment: nicotine pouches, or traditional tobacco products? As it turns out, nicotine pouches aren’t as healthy an alternative as some like to claim. Plastics are commonly used in their construction, which can take years to degrade, impacting the environment long after the pouch is tossed aside. The impact on our bodies is still unknown in the long term as well (https://www.northerner.com/uk/the-northerner/guide/how-long-do-nicotine-pouches-take-to-decompose).

“Ah ha!” you say, “but cigarette butts are a major source of litter and hurt the environment too! Plus they stink!” You’ve played right into my hand, and have begun to make my next point for me. Well before my time it became common practice to include filters on cigarettes. In simple terms, this was supposed to help filter out the “bad” from your cigarette before it entered your lungs. Ironically, opinions are shifting on the subject now. In short, there is growing concern about the impact of discarded cigarette filters, resulting in a movement to ban their use (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37072169/ ; https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2026/01/cigarette-filters-underestimated-source-microplastic-pollution.html). Additionally, some studies seem to show that unfiltered cigarettes actually discourage smoking due to the more intense sensations given to the smoker (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7755531/ ; https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/32/4/520).

Now this isn’t to say that I’m wholly anti-nicotine pouch. There’s benefit to having a variety of ways to consume your nicotine, and I’m generally against legislation restricting freedoms. Ideally the market responds with new manufacturing methods, which are better for both our health and the environment.

A Non-Traditional Solution in Tradition

Unfortunately, hoping for positive change doesn’t do much to help us now. Pouches and cigarette butts aren’t particularly good for us, nor the world around us. However, there are some solutions hiding in plain sight. Return to tradition. Smoke unfiltered cigarettes, and maybe roll your own. Enjoy a cigar or tobacco pipe. Grab a chaw of homemade chewing tobacco. All of these help you avoid unwanted plastics and additives, along with reducing waste which inevitably finds its way to our grounds and waters.

If you really want to control what goes into you, along with the soil, consider growing your own small batch tobacco for personal use. That may be a bridge too far for some, but there’s nothing quite like enjoying your own hard work and harvest.

Closing Thoughts on Nicotine Pouches and Returning to Tradition

Are sidewalks littered with used pouches any better than sharing space with a smoker? I’m old enough to remember when nearly every adult I met smoked, and most businesses allowed smoking inside. Maybe I’m a luddite. Maybe I’m a busybody. Perhaps I’m blinded by nostalgia. Whatever you think, I know what I’d prefer to see (and smell) as I walk down the street. At the very least, be considerate next time you decide to take out your pouch or finish smoking a filtered cigarette. Then, take a moment to think about transitioning to something a little less wasteful.