“A cigarette butt dropped to the ground seems insignificant.  But follow that butt as it’s carried off by rain into storm drains and eventually to streams and rivers. It now adds up to a big impact on the places we live: In fact, 32% of litter at storm drains is tobacco products.

“Cigarette butt litter creates blight. It accumulates in gutters, and outside doorways and bus shelters. It’s the number one most littered item anywhere. Increasing amounts of litter in a business district, along riverfronts, or recreation areas create a sense that no one cares, leading to more community disorder and crime.

Cigarette butts don’t disappear.  About 95% of cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic which does not quickly degrade and can persist in the environment.

“Filters are harmful to waterways and wildlife. About 18% of litter, traveling primarily through storm water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, and waterways. Nearly 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources. Cigarette butt litter can also pose a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake filters for food.” SOURCE: Prevent Cigarette Litter

Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, which is a synthetic fiber that can take five years to degrade. Most of these will be washed into waterways long before they break down where they can contaminate our water supply and harm wildlife with toxins from the cigarette.

Cigarette filters add stress to sewer and wastewater systems. The Amhearst, NY engineering department Website states, “Your toilet and sewer system are only designed to dispose of human wastes and toilet paper (which quickly breaks down). Unfortunately, people use the toilet as a wastebasket out of convenience. It is a huge ‘out of sight, out of mind’ problem because people often don’t see the mess sewer overflows cause and the problems that sewer workers need to deal with. Almost any type of rubbish (including cigarette filters) may restrict sewage flow, clog sewers, and cause sewage overflows.”

Cigarette butts are not biodegradable and should not be flushed into the septic system. And the filters on cigarette butts can clog and destroy septic pumps.

“Discarded cigarette butts may present health risks to human infants and animals because of indiscriminate eating behaviours.” – National Library of Medicine report

“Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food … Composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic.” – Clean Virginia Waterways

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s newsletter, Bay Daily, says, “The non-biodegradable and perhaps toxic properties of cigarette filters are just another reason to toss your pack of cigarettes – in the waste basket, of course, not overboard. They’re a blight on human health and a drag for wildlife, too.

“San Diego State University researcher Richard Gersberg recently published a report that showed that the chemicals in a single cigarette butt can poison fish in a one-liter bucket of water.”