Action Against Litter Newsletter – Issue 9
Cigarette butts are the number one item found during beach cleans, far surpassing the amount of plastic bottles, metal cans, or glass. Not only do these items destroy the look of our beaches, but they’re dangerous for the environment and the ocean too.
Many smokers assume, in error, that cigarette butts are made from paper and don’t realise the harm of burying butts in the sand or tossing them into the sea. Unfortunately, 95% of cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic which is so small and unnoticed it can easily make its way into waterways. Only a third of butts are disposed of in bins.
A World Health Organisation study has found cigarette butts are the main source of plastic pollution globally. Smokers who discard their cigarette butts into the environment or drop them in drains cause harm to birds and marine life which see it as food. They also absorb the hundreds of poisonous toxins released by filters. When cigarette ends enter the ocean, they release chemicals such as acetone, ammonia, formaldehyde and cadmium, which is the main component in battery acid.
To accompany their Butt Nothing campaign, Green Seas Trust is launching an exciting new competition for university or college students who live by the ocean (or who are willing to travel!). The rules are simple: take a 1 litre plastic bottle and fill it up with as many cigarette butts as you can find. Keep going for the next three months, and whoever wins the most will win an LED-lit dolphin (like their logo) to proudly display at their school. For more information visit:
