Cigarette butt litter is a major problem at our beaches, in the ocean and throughout the watersheds which carry water, trash and debris to our beaches. Cigarette butts discarded in parking lots, along sidewalks and in street gutters miles from the coast inevitably make their way through storm drains, creeks and rivers to the beach and the ocean. Direct litter of cigarette butts at the beach adds to the problem, and they are the most pervasive form of litter at our beach cleanups. It isn’t just a matter of unsightly trash and litter. Toxins from cigarettes collect on the filter and are then washed out into our waterways and the ocean. Birds and sea mammals ingest the butts, thinking that it’s food, and a recent study showed that the toxins in the butts can be lethal to fish. As part of its Rise Above Plastics Committee, the Oahu Chapter is initiating a Hold Onto Your Butt campaign to educate the public about the proliferation of cigarette butt litter in our watersheds and beaches and encourage people to pick up the trash. All of us can do things to eliminate cigarette litter throughout our watersheds.
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