McNeilMatrix1Post



= Smoking Will Harm More Than Just You = = = Smoking cigarettes has been known to be very harmful to an individual’s health, however there is usually little information presented to smokers in regards to the litter they deposit into the environment from each cigarette butts. Often times if we see someone throw a piece of trash on the ground we are likely to think how awful that person is and resent them for their actions, but when we see someone flick a cigarette butt from car we don’t think twice. This is a real problem since cigarette butts are not just paper and cotton that will decompose quickly and harmlessly. Butts are actually made of plastic cellulose acetate, and take many years to decompose (McLaren). = = Many smokers believe that littering one little cigarette butt won't cause any harm to the environment, but in fact the poisons in cigarette butts kill small animals. The 360 billion cigarettes smoked in the United States in 2007 translates to a total of 135,000,000 pounds of discarded butts in one year in the United States alone (not that all of these are littered -- some are disposed of correctly by smokers). Additionally, a lit butt can cause fires and have other negative impacts on the environment and human health. For example, a cigarette butt was the possible cause of an 11,000 acre fire in San Diego in January 2001 (Cigarette Litter). = = This problem is starting to get real recognition from government officials in cities and other more suburban areas of the country. For instance New York City assemblyman Michael G. DenDekker has proposed a cigarette butt recycling program. The democrat from Queens researched and found useful methods of recycling the butts that could prove very prodigious. For instance DenDekker discovered that in China, scientist had found that soaking cigarette butts in water creates a solution that can protect steel pipes used by the oil industry from corroding. In Brazil, a fashion designer, Alexandra Guerrero, cleans cigarette butts, dyes them and spins them with sheep wool into clothing. And in Ohio, an inventor has a patent pending to turn cigarette butts into adhesives and sealants (Hager). = = Another way that conscious smokers can correctly dispose of their butts is to use disposable ashtrays. These are foil lined pouches that seal up air tight. After the smoker has consumed their cigarette they can put the cigarette out and place it in the disposable ashtray. Then these ashtrays can be thrown out later when the smoker is near a trashcan. = = These methods in conjunction with informing the public could make a real impact in the number of cigarette butts we see littered along sidewalks and roads. If there is not a significant change in the way the public views littering of cigarette butts this problem will continue and every year we will have many more cigarette filters littering the ground. This is a difficult problem to solve since so many people contribute to the problem and there is already an enormous number of filters littering the ground. = =

Works Cited

"Cigarette Butt Haute Couture." //GreenMuze : Cool Environmental News, Green Design and Eco-Living Tips From Around The Globe!// 6 Jan. 2009. Web. 3 Nov. 2011. .

"Cigarette Litter --Questions & Answers." Longwood University. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. .

Hager, Emily B. "A Call to Recycle Cigarette Butts - NYTimes.com." Metro - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com. 25 May 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. .

McLaren, Warren. "Smoking: Environmental and Social Impacts." TreeHugger. 27 Feb. 2007. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. .