TIL Cigarette butts are the most common form of plastic pollution
TIL Cigarette butts are the most common form of plastic pollution
Cigarette butts are the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting our environment.
If you needed yet another reason to quit smoking, here it is.
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Dislike smoking but realize that for addicts often public infrastructure doesn't give you a lot of options for getting rid of butts. Seems like biodegradable butts should be mandatory. On the other hand I will lean into my horn if I see someone throwing butts out of their car. That is inexcusable - get an ashtray for your vehicle.
When I smoked I always put my butts in my pocket.
It's not hard to pick up after yourself. Put the cig out, and instead of dropping it on the ground put it in your pocket. If thats too stinky carry a sandwich bag or dog poop bag for them.
Now that that's out of the way, it's interesting that birds have been using cigarette butts to line their nests. Turns out nicotine is a great miticide. Hopefully it's not hurting them in the long run, which is why we should pick up our fucking garbage.
I mean, who cares? It's the smokers' problem? If you can't dispose of your trash take it with you or stop producing it until you can. That's true for any trash.
We expect people to carry doggie bags, too. Just clean up after yourself.
I realize that's idealistic and it's never going to happen because smokers be littering, but it makes me mad regardless.
doggy bags to take my food to go, or doggie bags to take the poo to go?
Dog poop. Is that not what doggie bags are? 😅 I always thought using the term for food also was a little strange. I'm not a native speaker, my bad if I used it incorrectly.
Leftovers that you keep for "the dog"! Less and less frequently does it make it to dogs though, a crime of our time.
flicking your cigarette into the void was completely normal every place that i lived in the US. it isn't thought about or frowned upon. it's simply part of the ritual of having a cigarette.
For many smokers, the world is their ashtray.
public infrastructure doesn't give you a lot of options for getting rid of butts
It's literally the same infrastructure as for every other kind of litter: a bin. Just stamp it out and throw it away. If there isn't a bin take it with you and throw it out later. Before I quit smoking I had a small plastic vial with a screw lid that I collected the butts in for later disposal. A small jar, dedicated pocket ash tray or in a pinch even a plastic bag or simply a pocket would work too. It's really not that hard.
I realise you're probably not one of the people who litter their cigarette butts, but you still shouldn't be making excuses for people who do. Throwing cigarettes on the ground is no better than any other kind of littering. And while I'm at it: the same goes for bottle caps.
I just get all the tobacco out of the butt and put it in my back pocket until I find a trash can. It makes me stink even worse but that's better than littering.
I do the same thing, but if you thought we stunk before that…man.
Nah I know how bad we stink. I've quit twice, long enough for it to become overwhelming again. I can't smell it but I know it's there.
I can’t smell it either at this point. I don’t smoke inside though.
I’ll never forget this one.
My ex and I were both chain smokers. I didn’t want to smoke inside but she was convinced a fan in the window was enough. I never smelled it before, but her mom bitched every time she came over.
When we split, I went back trying to work it out multiple times and I couldn’t stand the smell of her clean clothes even. It was awful. Even as a smoker I couldn’t stand the smell of that place. I remember falling asleep with her on the couch and just gagging.
I would NEVER smoke inside after smelling that. I also keep a cat litter container outside for butts and a Gatorade bottle with a little water in my car.
I threw cigarette butts everywhere when I was younger, then one day I seen a program about the butts ending up in waterways and I haven’t tossed one since.
Yeah I tossed and stomped, or flicked out the car window, when I was young. Smoked inside at my first three apartments and at my mom's house.
I was callous in so many ways in my youth. Littering cigarettes ain't nothing compared to how I acted in general. I try to keep it in mind and not judge the youth of today harshly.
Good onya for picking up after yourself & self awareness.
It was super hard for me to quit too (4 or 5 times and years on NRT) but it gets easier slowly. For me it was very worth it but we all have our own journeys.I don't think it's possible to quit smoking twice. The first time, there was just a longer gap between cigarettes.
In that case I never quit. I'll keep this great advice in mind next time I feel like I have my life settled out and stress minimized so I can try again but give up immediately once I remember that the other two times didn't count.