Those Burnt Out Smokin' Butts
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY 
on 02. 2.07
We’re all well aware of the dangers of smoking cigarettes, and most of us are pretty aware of the issues surrounding cigarette butts that aren’t disposed of properly as well… But if you’ve lived on this planet for even just half an hour of late, I’m betting you’ve noticed them laying just about anywhere people tend to congregate outside… So what about starting a petition asking for legislation that requires cigarette makers to put a label on every package sold asking smokers to dispose of them responsibly? Well, high-school freshman Dave Steinmetz and his two college age sisters have started an online campaign they’ve titled “No Butts About It” intending to do just that. For them it all started about seven years ago on their family vacations on the beach in Florida where they signed up to adopt a section of beach and clean it themselves just four times a year…. Ultimately they came to realize that cigarette butts made up a huge percentage of the garbage they collected, a fact confirmed when they researched the results of the International Coastal Cleanup. And according to ButtsOut, there are about 4.3 trillion cigarette butts discarded globally every year, with up to 30% of them ending up as litter. Let’s face it, 30% of even a trillion cigarette butts is best defined as a whole lot of trash!
So is the proper conclusion that cigarette smokers in general just don’t care about the environment? Well, actually not! In fact, what Dave and his sisters have figured out is that most smokers are environmentally aware enough to keep from littering other small papers like gum wrappers, but out of force of habit just keep on flicking those butts where they don’t belong… With each of those butts expected to last from 12 to 25 years in the wild, maybe these kids bright idea for a warning label can help make a difference?
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Some questions: are sigarette butts really a threat to the environment, or are they just unpleasant to look at? Are they biodegradable?
The kid's heart is in the right place, but the reality is that smokers are arrogant selfish a**holes. No attention is paid to the warning label that is already on cigarette packages. If they ignore a warning that says THESE WILL KILL YOU then there's no way they're going to inconvenience themselves by finding a trash can for their butts.
A petition to require that the filter portion be biodegradeble, that is one I would sign!.
I'm sure someone working in the R&D department of a cigarette manufacturer has made the filter material out of PLA by now!!!!
"the reality is that smokers are arrogant selfish a**holes."
I whole-heartedly disagree with this very broad and stereotypical comment. I personally smoke cigarettes. Yes...I understand they are bad for me, and that is something I need to work on for myself. However, never ever do I throw a butt on the ground. I realize the importance of not leaving my bad habit around for future generations to see. SO.....let's all not jump to statements/conclusion such as brettro's, which to me is very ignorant in lumping ALL smokers in a category such as that.
Smoke them, just don't stink like nasty smoke around me. And quit taking breaks from work to go smoke a fag.
sheik is the exception (one of very few) and NOT the rule. The vast majority of smokers don't see cigarette butts as trash. If I was to throw a gum wrapper on the sidewalk I would get nasty looks but smokers can flip their butts anywhere they like, all day long, and no one thinks twice. Something is seriously, seriously wrong with that.
It is not just a bad habit, Sheik, it is an addiction.
@bretto:
the reality is that just by buying the pc you sit in front of you definitely had harmed people and planet along the supply chain a lot more than a responsible smoker does by smoking.
responsible smoking includes buying organic tabaco that is not dryed by timberfire and never smoking when non-smokers and especially kids are around.
it is nice to care about others health but is very arrogant to claim that others must change a behavior that only harms themselfs.
by the way. ever heard that addiction is a kind of disease and that most smokers started smoking because of peer pressure when they were kids or during a phase of depression???
if you care for other peoples problems that less why do you hugg trees?
"And quit taking breaks from work to go smoke a fag."
@JiltedCitizen
yeah, don´t revoke your workpower from people and planet loving capitalism. stay obedient and never question authority! your kids will be thankful.
Perhaps if they appealed to the a** in every smoker with a warning that said something like "we can't force you to quit but we can ask that you don't pollute." Maybe I"m being optimistic.
And if we encourage cities to provide more outdoor stand up ashtrays. Those things were all over when I went to AUS and it certainly made me walk the extra two feet to put my cigs in there.
yeah, I put my butt in the can or carry it with me untill such a time comes.
Sorry I'm such an [b]arrogant selfish a**hole[/b] for doing that Oh and for not smoking around children and none smokers and being careful that my exhaled smoke doesn't blow onto other people.
In Australia there where HEAPS of bins available but as of late they have been disapearing as well as places being marked with signs where you can't smoke.
Why not have citizens lobby for city-wide laws banning smoking in ecologically sensitive areas like this ex-smoking asshole and some friends did in Newport Beach a couple years ago? Banning cigarettes on public beaches seems like a good step that gets tobacco companies pissed off (a good sign you're doing the right thing).
My mailman throws butts on my yard so this is an anger issue not just lighhearted forgetfulness.People let their dogs out to leave droppings because it is a way to show dominance by proxy.People who park in handicapped slots have a higher rate of felony background so be careful getting up in their face.
There should be a deposit required on cigarette butts like bottles and cans.Florida does not have a bottle deposit because retailers do not want the hassle.Florida looks at environmentalism as a hygene issue-keep it clean for the tourists but everywhere else it can look like a migrant trailer park.
This label idea is a way for some guy to get job training as a lobbyist.Florida has stressed out people smoking because the upper class here thinks a warning label (mild regulation unenforced) is enough for peasants but they require statute and subsidy.
Unlucky smoker said:
"it is nice to care about others health but is very arrogant to claim that others must change a behavior that only harms themselfs[sic]."
Only harms themselves?!? Second hand smoke is a KILLER. Google the US Surgeon General's report on second hand smoke exposure from June, 2006. Smokers know that they are harming themselves and most of them know that they're harming others in the process w/the second hand smoke. They just can't be bothered to care.
A federal public smoking ban in all indoor spaces needs to be implemented. But that's not gonna happen anytime soon. I urge all treehuggers to check out:
No-smoke.org and if you're in Illinois, smokefreeillinois.org. We're trying to get a statewide smoking ban here. 22 states have statewide bans now. England, France, Italy and Ireland (!!) among others, have instituted country-wide smoking bans. There is a lot of momentum for bans right now, but there is also alot of opposition. If the bans are in place, then fewer people will smoke. More addicts (or junkies, if you prefer) will quit and the amount of butts in the environment will decrease.
well, while we are on the topic of cigs and pollution and such, lets also ban alcahol from our beaches. and food because food comes in wrappers and people just have this tendency to leave litter around. Lets also ban driving to these beaches because they are such a pollution mechanism and not very pleasing to the ears. Lets also ban water based activities that incorporate machines. Petrol and water = a polluted beach.
when will all this end? The problem is that all these are mere programs aimed at only pleasing certain minority groups. I suppose we will still be banning things when the civilization falls while wondering "how did it happen so quickly"
change the vision, not the programs!
well, while we are on the topic of cigs and pollution and such, lets also ban alcahol from our beaches. and food because food comes in wrappers and people just have this tendency to leave litter around. Lets also ban driving to these beaches because they are such a pollution mechanism and not very pleasing to the ears. Lets also ban water based activities that incorporate machines. Petrol and water = a polluted beach.
when will all this end? The problem is that all these are mere programs aimed at only pleasing certain minority groups. I suppose we will still be banning things when the civilization falls while wondering "how did it happen so quickly"
change the vision, not the programs!
I smoke and I am fighting the green fight constantly. I know that they are bad for me, but I don't care. Why would I want to be 80? I know a lot of elderly people and they are not that happy and it's not like they can run a marathon. I saw on The G Word, aired on Planet Green, that some college students have developed a cigarette made of hemp paper and the filter is biodegradable. Also the tobacco is organic. Since the nonsmokers want to make blatantly false sweeping accusations I will too. Nonsmokers are whiny, self righteous children stuck in adult bodies. If your senses are so delicate then why don't you live in the forest like the pretty little flower you are. Guess what, being a cry baby pain in the butt is as unattractive to people as smoking is to you.