for many people, driving behind someone on the road and watching the person in front of them throw a cigarette butt out the window is just something we simply look past. however, i've recently started to become more aware of the amount of cigarette litter that surrounds us. this trash consumes our gardens, sidewalks, roads and other places we try to keep beautiful. how difficult is it for someone to throw away their finished cigarette (properly)? why have we allowed this nonchalant form of littering to become so acceptable? through this, we have forgotten that cigarettes are toxic trash and we need to become aware of this again. today during my break, i took a walk downtown to enjoy the sunshine. as i was looking around, i walked past an elderly man sweeping our korean war veterans memorial. when i looked closer, i saw that there were cigarette butts littered throughout the brick - bricks containing the names of people who fought in a war. when throwing a cigarette butt out of a car window, you don't actually know where it's going to end up; at the moment maybe all you care about is getting it out of your hand. but on west market street, your cigarette butts end up here. where alan myers, a korean war veteran, is left to clean up after you. we need to bring back awareness that throwing a cigarette butt onto the ground is what it is: littering. so, here are some things you may want to consider the next time you decide it's easier to throw that butt on the ground. 1. cigarette butts are the MOST littered item in the united states this is happening because we allow it. every time we don't speak up about what we see, littering continues to occur. 2. 77% of people surveyed do not consider cigarette butts to be litter 3. tobacco products account for 38% of united states roadway litter 4. the presence of litter decreases the property value in a community by almost 7% if you didn't know already, our local downtown has been making a huge effort to revitalize. every time you drop a butt, you are taking their efforts a step back. we currently have people who sweep the streets by hand for us. sadly, they're cleaning up directly after smokers throwing butts onto the ground. 5. estimation: 1.69 billion pounds of cigarette butts end up becoming TOXIC trash each year 6. children can suffer from cigarette butt litter 1/3 of small children who ingested a littered cigarette butt showed symptoms of illness - we all know children are curious and pick up anything and everything. how are they to know they just picked up an object filled with toxic chemicals? 7. cigarettes are mostly littered within 10 feet of a permanent ash tray 8. when littered, cigarette butts wash into our waterways, resulting in adding toxins to our drinking water 9. cigarette butts are NOT biodegradable the filters contain plastic and it's not going to disappear like this leftover pizza crust i'm sharing this post because it makes me sad to see men like alan, a veteran, sweeping up cigarette butts from a memorial that was dedicated to him and people he served with. i'm also sharing this because i want my community to thrive and be as beautiful as it can be. it hurts my heart to see amazing gardens, grown with love, littered with cigarette butts.
i'm asking that the next time you finish your cigarette, PLEASE be aware of where you're discarding it. (even if discarded into a proper ash tray, the wind can blow cigarette butts into unwanted places resulting in litter and even fire, so please take extra care.) educating ourselves about the impact of cigarette butt litter is the first step in cleaning up the environment and making a daily walk, or routine sweeping, a little more pleasant. ❤❤❤ sources: The Problem & Facts | Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Misconceptions | Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Butt Waste - no-smoke.org Cigarette Litter --Questions & Answers Cigarette Butt Litter - Beachapedia
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hi! i'm bradania - lover of coffee, plants, adventure & life // thanks for visiting!
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