Cigarette Litter is Hazardous

The Environment and Cigarette Butss

• Several trillions of cigarettes are littered worldwide each year. They are the most littered item in the world.^[13]
• Cigarette butts are not biodegradable. The filter tips take many years to decompose.^[13]

Harmful Effects of Cigarette Butts

• In 1995, the American Association of Poison Control Centers received 7,917 reports of nicotine ingestion among children under age six. Eating a tobacco product can lead to severe effects such as irregular heartbeats and seizures.^[14]
• Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other animals, swallowing harmful plastic and toxic chemicals. ^[15]
• Cigarette butts are a major cause of fires. The Yellowstone National Park fire in 1988 burned more than 400,000 acres caused by a discarded cigarette butt. ^[16]