Cigarette Litter[1]
Photo courtesy of Clean Virginia Waterways
While cigarette butts
might be much smaller and less visible on the ground than other types of
litter, they have a significant negative impact on our environment. In fact,
cigarette butts are the most frequently littered item there is, with smokers
littering about 4.5 trillion cigarette butts yearly. According to the
Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Marine Conservation,
cigarette butts are the most prevalent littered item found during the Center's
International Coastal Cleanup Project, accounting for nearly one of every five
items collected.
Although the paper and
tobacco that comprise cigarettes are themselves biodegradable, the cellulose
acetate filter (the “butt”) is not. Once a cigarette is thrown away improperly,
the butt that remains becomes litter just as much as other non-biodegradable
litter such as plastic bags. Cigarette butts can leach harmful chemicals into
the ground and water, and be ingested accidentally by wildlife or even small
children.
2000 International Coastal Cleanup - United States Dirty Dozen
|
PERCENTAGE
OF TOTAL COLLECTED |
DEBRIS
ITEMS |
TOTAL
NUMBER REPORTED |
|
20.25% |
1.
cigarette butts |
1,027,303 |
|
6.65% |
2.
plastic pieces |
337,384 |
|
5.60% |
3.
food bags/wrappers (plastic) |
284,287 |
|
5.30% |
4.
foamed plastic pieces |
268,945 |
|
5.03% |
5.
caps, lids (plastic) |
255,253 |
|
4.32% |
6.
paper pieces |
219,256 |
|
4.13% |
7.
glass pieces |
209,531 |
|
3.63% |
8.
beverage cans |
184,294 |
|
2.96% |
9.
beverage bottles (glass) |
150,129 |
|
3.19% |
10.
straws |
161,639 |
|
2.96% |
11.
beverage bottles (plastic) |
150,129 |
|
2.57% |
12.
bottle caps (metal) |
130,401 |
|
67.12% |
Dirty Dozen Totals |
3,405,461 |
Credit: Center for Marine Conservation International Coastal Cleanup.