The benefits of plastics are undeniable. It is cheap, light and easy to make, which has led to a boom in plastic production over the past century. This trend will continue as global plastic production is expected to grow in the next 10 to 15 years. Research shows that the world can't cope with the amount of plastic waste produced unless the method of production, use and management of waste plastics is reconsidered. Ultimately, facing one of the greatest environmental pollutants of our time will require governments to regulate it, businesses to innovate, and individuals to act. This paper explains the problems disposable plastics creates for the environment, what it consists of and what the most common disposable plastics is. The EU legislation concerning waste plastic management has been reviewed. . The paper describes the way in which the European Union wants to try to reduce the use of plastics and what the directive actually promotes and bans is explained in more detail. Furthermore, by reviewing professional literature, we get an insight into some of the research that has been done so far in particular countries. Research gives us some of the possible solutions to the reduction of the number of cigarette butts in the environment or how to at least reduce their number and harmful impact on the environment. For the purposes of this thesis, research was conducted in which waste generated during the cleaning of streets and pedestrian zones was collected. The aim of the study was to determine the composition of this type of waste and to determine the amount of cigarette butts.