What’s the Problem?

Cigarette butt litter is a major problem at our beaches, in the ocean and throughout the watersheds which carry water, trash and debris to our beaches. Cigarette butts discarded in parking lots, along sidewalks and in street gutters miles from the coast inevitably make their way through storm drains, creeks and rivers to the beach and the ocean. Direct litter of cigarette butts at the beach adds to the problem. It isn’t just a matter of unsightly trash and litter. Toxins from cigarettes collect on the filter and are then washed out into our waterways and the ocean. Birds and sea mammals ingest the butts, thinking that it’s food. All of us can do things to eliminate cigarette litter throughout our watersheds.

Here is a short PSA from Surfrider about Cigarette Butt Litter:

Litter Statistics
Economic Costs
Environmental Cost of Cigarettes

No butts about it. The environmental costs of tobacco products are more than just smoke. They include the following:

Solutions – What You Can Do To Help

for more information go to http://beachapedia.org