Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, with 4.5 trillion discarded each year. Estimates of the required time for cigarette butts to break down vary, ranging from 5 to 400 years for complete degradation.
Litter is a type of human impact on the environment and remains a serious environmental problem in many countries, including our own. Litter can exist in the environment for long periods of time before decomposition and be transported over large distances into the world’s oceans. Litter can affect our quality of life and the life of the creatures we share our oceans with.
If you’re a smoker, please be considerate of our waterways and don’t throw your butts overboard. And please don’t be offended if you are called out for doing so.