The Littering Behavior of Smokers

Cigarette butts have been carelessly thrown from car windows, dumped on sidewalks, and even carelessly thrown on the ground. This has become a major problem in the United States and all over the world. Burning cigarettes have started many fires, destroyed homes, endangered wildlife, and, in some cases, has caused millions of acres of grass fires. Smokers need to be more aware of the impact that one butt can have on the environment. Having knowledge that there is danger in cigarette butt littering may persuade smokers to properly dispose of their butts. I believe a nationwide ban on cigarette smoking may significantly reduce cigarette butt litter.

The Cigarette Litter Prevention Act was introduced by Senator Joe Lieberman on May 8, 2006. Co-founders of the 'No Butts About It' campaign, Amy, Allie, and David Steinmetz worked with the senator to draft the legislation. The Cigarette Litter Prevention Act would require cigarette packs to state, "Please dispose of all cigarette waste properly. Do not litter" (Lieberman, 2006). Although this may be a good idea, I do not think it will work. There are already warnings (health advisories) on cigarette packs, and those warnings do not appear to be working. People may still litter despite what is stated on the cigarette packs.

A majority of smokers' may believe that the cigarette filters are made up of cotton fibers and therefore they may believe it will decompose quickly. This simply is not the case. According to Kathleen Register, author of Cigarette Butts as Litter-Toxic as Well as Ugly, '95% of the filters in cigarettes are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that slowly degrades. Cellulose acetate fibers are a lot thinner than sewing thread, are packed tightly together to create a filter and they can resemble cotton' (Register, 2000).