Tobacco-free beaches

In 2012, the Centennial Square in Nice became the first tobacco-free beach in France. The City of Nice and the National Cancer League officially signed a convention on 20 February 2012.

Nice thus becomes the first city to get the national label of the League Against Cancer, Tobacco-Free Beach.

Following this first niçoise, many other French tourist cities followed the example of our city.

The Tobaccoless Space on the beaches aims to

• Eliminate exposure to passive smoking
• Create a new generation without tobacco
• Encourage the cessation of tobacco
• Promoting the exercise
• Offering healthy public spaces
• Preserve the environment of cigarette butts

Denormalization is a concept that aims to change attitudes to what is generally considered normal and acceptable behaviour. The ban on smoking in public places contributes to the destandardization of smoking in society. It is a matter of bringing the population to consider that smoking is not a normal act and that tobacco is not a commercial product like others.

Every year, nearly 30 billion cigarette butts are thrown into the streets of France. It is considered that a snail thrown on the ground and carried by the waters will have all the risks to reach the sea.
The filters of the cigarettes thrown put up to 1 to 2 years to break down.

The aim of this initiative is to protect non-smokers from the harm of passive smoking, not to mention the significant ecological impact that needs to be highlighted, since cigarette butts are among the waste most found on the beaches.

On June 1, 2024, the coastline of Niçois became tobacco-free space

A signage with a visual, panels and masts are at the entrance of the beaches.

This year in its desire to carry out a major action in the fight against smoking and environmental protection, the municipality has wanted to extend this ban to all the public beaches in Nicaragua, which since 1 June have become tobacco-free spaces.