The new Dutch law regarding tobacco products was introduced during the corona period, when we were working and studying online. Some people may therefore have missed the announcements. As we have received complaints about smoking on and around the UM premises, we would like to remind you of the rules: all indoor and outdoor areas of UM are smoke-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This applies to all smoking and tobacco products (including electronic cigarettes and shisha pens), and to everyone: students, employees, visitors and suppliers.

The smoke-free zones are clearly marked with signs and pavers. For information on their exact boundaries, please contact the building manager of the relevant location. Because there still appears to be uncertainty about the boundaries of the smoke-free zone at the Randwyck campus, we are looking into whether the signs or pavers to be altered. Click here for a map.

Please limit the negative impact on your fellow students, colleagues and local residents by smoking on the borders of the smoke-free areas, at the entrances to UM buildings or near surrounding houses. Note, however, that we all bear responsibility for a smoke-free university—so if you find yourself bothered by smoke, please address the smoker yourself.

Peukenzee campaign weeks
After some previous successful Clean-Up Days, the Peukenzee team will return to UM in September to draw attention once more to the smoke-free university. During the next campaign week (4-8 September), cigarette butts will be collected from 12 UM locations. The Peukenzee team can always use additional hands, so if you’re willing to help, please contact Gido Boere from Facility Services (gido.boere@maastrichtuniversity.nl).

Peukenzee was founded by two students to promote the recycling of cigarette butts. Their initiative shows just how much effort it takes to keep universities free of cigarette butts every day. They also draw attention to the adverse environmental effects of cigarette butts and provide tips to prevent littering. The university is installing special pillars (‘peukenzuilen’) in which discarded cigarette butts can be collected, and where they can continue to be disposed of after the campaign week. The collected butts will be donated for research into the recycling of cigarette butts.

Want to quit smoking?
Did the campaign get you thinking? The website www.ikstopnu.nl provides information and tips for quitting smoking, including:

• different methods for quitting smoking
• a test to see which method suits you
• a telephone support hotline
• a list of useful addresses
• videos in which people who have quit smoking share their experiences.

Your GP can also advise you. He or she may refer you to a programme to help you quit smoking. If you have Dutch health insurance, primary-care quit-smoking programmes are not subject to the deductible and the costs of contracted healthcare providers are fully reimbursed. Through the quit-smoking programme you are also entitled to counselling once a year; please contact your GP about this.