Surfrider Foundation Solana Beach says don't pollute beaches with your butts, fools...

For the most current 'HOTYB' info visit our blog: www.holdontoyourbutt.blogspot.com 

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in The United States and the world. This type of litter is not just found on streets and in urban settings; the number of cigarette butts found on beaches and nearby areas is overwhelming--typically accounting for nearly one in every three items collected during our cleanups. Cigarette waste discarded miles inland compounds the problem as it can end up in stormdrains that flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately the ocean. To make matters worse, lighted cigarette butts flicked into California’s dry arid environment can spark deadly and costly wildfires. 

Hold Onto Your Butt Awareness Day this summer will involve activists, volunteers, and friends of the environment gathering at three of San Diego County's busiest traffic intersections near the beach. There, Surfrider activists will hold signs, pass out personal ashtrays, stickers and graphically demonstrate to motorists the problem that we are so concerned about. We will encourage motorists and beachgoers to dispose of cigarettes safely, and explain that cigarette butts thrown on the ground can eventually end up in the ocean and affect marine life, including surfers and swimmers. Volunteers will also clean the surrounding area, keeping track of how many cigarette butts and other items they find.

Our Chapter, along with American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and other organizations fighting cigarette litter, held a press conference with the Californian Highway Patrol (CHP) and San Diego Fire Department to announce that the CHP is cracking down on smokers who throw their butts out the car window while driving. The CHP joined our coalition efforts by setting up a hotline number that people can call if they see cigarette butts being tossed onto our streets and highways. After the phone call is received, the CHP will send a warning letter to the alleged violator. The hotline number, 1-877-211-BUTT, has already been successful! Our Chapter has been working on our Hold On To Your Butt campaign for years and we are delighted to be part of such a broad-based coalition.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in The United States and the world.

• Over two billion cigarette butts get tossed everyday. That's an average of two cigarette butts daily from each of earth's 1.2 billion smokers.
• It is estimated that Americans toss more than 175 million pounds of cigarette butts out every year. These butts are frequently cast onto the sidewalk and streets and then pushed into storm drains that flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately the ocean.
• At beach cleanups, cigarette butts are the most common form of trash found (typically accounting for one in every five items collected).
• The cigarette filter was designed to trap the toxic chemicals in the cigarette smoke from entering the smoker's body. When submerged in water, the toxic chemicals trapped in the filter leak out into aquatic ecosystems, threatening the quality of the water and many forms of aquatic life.
• Cigarette butts may seem small, but with an estimated 4.5 trillion butts (worldwide) littered every year, the toxic chemicals add up!
• Over 99% of cigarettes are now smoked outside.
• 18% of all litter dropped to the ground is washed into streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean by storm water runoff. Cigarette butts, are little and lightweight and are the first to get carried away into our waterways.0
• Studies indicate that since we have enacted indoor smoking bans, more cigarette butts are being tossed directly into the environment. Unfortunately, this means that ecosystems have a higher chance of being affected by cigarette butts. Biologists have found butts in the stomachs of young birds, sea turtles and other marine creatures.
• Cigarette butts can cause other environmental problems, such as fires. For example, a cigarette butt was the possible cause of an 11,000 acre fire in San Diego in January 2001.
• Many smokers incorrectly believe that cigarette filters are made of biodegradable cotton. In fact, cigarette filters are made of plastic cellulose acetate, and can take 15 years to decompose.

Ultimately, the Surfrider Foundation is calling for better enforcement of laws against cigarette butt littering; additional taxes on tobacco products specifically earmarked for clean-up efforts; more effort on the part of tobacco companies to improve the biodegradability of filters, reduce packaging waste and educate consumers about the impacts of tobacco waste on the environment; and more local involvement from governments and businesses to reduce cigarette littering by supplying ashtrays and other "disposal mechanisms" at building entrances.