Cigarette butts are the most common litter item picked up during beach and coastal cleanups. Made of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, they can take several years to break down. In the meantime, they can trap and leach toxins into the environment and waterways. One cigarette butt can contaminate 1,000 liters of water to the point that it is lethal to fish and planktonic organisms.
Chemicals
Cigarette butts are a source of harmful chemicals that leach into the environment, poisoning wildlife and polluting our oceans. They contain more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 70 known to be toxic to humans. Chemicals trapped in cigarette filters, especially nicotine and ethylphenol, are also dangerous for marine life. Even at a concentration of one butt per liter of water, these chemicals can be lethal to fish and planktonic organisms such as sea fleas.
Whether flicked onto beaches or tossed into parks, discarded cigarette butts are easily washed into storm drains and carried to rivers, lakes, and oceans by rain and waves. In an ocean brimming with plastic litter, these cigarette butts are particularly harmful because of their photodegradation and release of chemicals.
While many people assume that cigarette butts are harmless because they eventually break down in the sun, they pose an immediate threat to wildlife, marine environments, and human health. Cigarette butts are mistaken for food by fish, seabirds, and turtles, leading to injuries and death, and can be inhaled or ingested. They also contaminate soils, waterways, and beaches and are the most common item environmental cleanup crews collect.
Tobacco Filters
Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a plastic form. Although they are not biodegradable, the ultraviolet rays from sunlight will eventually break them into smaller pieces. These tiny particles can then be ingested by fish, birds, and other animals who mistake them for food or shelter. These chemicals are toxic to marine life and can accumulate in these animals’ bodies, potentially causing disease and poisoning them.
Despite warnings from researchers, most smokers are unaware that their cigarettes contain a substance that is non-biodegradable and can release thousands of harmful chemicals into the environment. One in three smokers believe their cigarette filter is made from cotton wool, while only a quarter of them know it’s plastic.
Tobacco cultivation requires huge land areas, leading to deforestation, habitat loss, and biodiversity. Additionally, the tobacco industry uses chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which can contaminate soil and water sources. This damage is in addition to the environmental impact of smoking itself, which robs ecosystems of vital nutrients, damages the respiratory system of smokers, and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Plastic
Whether flicked on beaches or dropped in parks, cigarette butts are made from a non-biodegradable plastic called cellulose acetate. Even though ultraviolet rays from sunlight break them down into smaller pieces, they never disappear. As a result, they are among the most common items collected during beach cleanups.
A single discarded cigarette butt can leach toxic chemicals that damage freshwater ecosystems. For example, one laboratory study showed that a butt soaked for 24 hours in a liter of water released enough chemicals to kill half the fish present in the same volume. This is not only bad for marine life; it can also hinder the growth of plants and even contaminate soil.
Cigarette butts are also a threat to birds and animals. In addition to being a food source for some species, they can also cause fires and block waterways, leading to habitat loss. The environmental impact of cigarette butts is even more devastating when it comes to communities that are the least responsible for the problem.
The good news is that it’s possible to curb the amount of cigarette waste littered worldwide. One of the most effective ways is by providing ashtrays for smokers to use in public places.
Toxic Waste
As a result of the toxic waste caused by the tobacco industry’s products and their disposal, the Earth has suffered along with the people living on it. It is an enormous environmental burden that takes the form of human health problems, deforestation, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and marine debris.
Cigarette butts are a particularly troublesome form of trash, as they do not biodegrade and leak a cocktail of harsh chemicals into the environment. They are a persistent form of plastic litter that contaminates the soil, waterways, and oceans.
These chemicals leach from discarded butts and other tobacco products into the air, where they can be inhaled and swallowed, and into waterways where fish and other organisms can eat them. These chemicals pollute the groundwater and can eventually reach the oceans.
The problem is exacerbated by the use of disposable e-cigarettes, which can be thrown away just as easily as a regular cigarette and can release the same toxic chemicals into the environment.
Cigarette butts are often the most prominent item found on beaches during cleanups. They are a testament to the fact that cigarettes are the most littered items worldwide, even as smoking rates have fallen. It is time to address the root causes of cigarette litter. This means ensuring that the tobacco industry follows all guidelines and best practices for waste disposal, including product and packaging standards, to reduce the amount of plastic and hazardous chemicals produced by the manufacturing process.
