The decision comes after eight years of testing as part of the Breathe the Sea Air project. The new measures, expected to be introduced at the end of May, will include designated smoking areas 300 to 400 metres from the sea. Details regarding fines and whether e-cigarettes will be allowed will be announced in May this year.
Cigarette filters, which contain slow-degrading cellulose acetate, can take up to 10 years to decompose. It is estimated that around 5.5 trillion cigarettes are sold worldwide each year, with a large number of them ending up in the environment. Between 2014 and 2018, around 550,000 discarded cigarette butts were collected at Bibione Beach alone. The 8km-long beach attracted 5,317,064 tourists in 2017 alone.
The majority of visitors supported the ban, with 50% supporting the total ban and a further 26% agreeing to pass it as long as smoking areas were designated. The project has also been supported by the World Health Organization and health authorities across Italy.
"We want visitors to have the opportunity to breathe clean sea air without having to endure harmful pollutants," said Pasqualino Codognotto, mayor of San Michele in Bibione.
The scientific study used to support the move is a report from the Smoking Cessation Centre at the Italian National Cancer Institute in Milan, which measured air pollution on and around Bibione beach. The report gives specific figures on the levels of pollution from cigarettes and claims that passive smokers are affected even within a 10-meter radius.
Places that have introduced similar bans include Queensland, Australia, which has banned smoking on all patrolled beaches; more than 300 beaches across the US; and 24 beaches in Thailand, including Patong Beach in Phuket and Bo Phut on Koh Samui. Two Welsh beaches have introduced voluntary bans: Little Haven in Pembrokeshire and Caswell Bay in Swansea.
Previously, in 2005, Italy imposed a ban on smoking in public places, in bars, restaurants, clubs and offices.
