No butts about it, guys! We are almost there! This past March,  we picked up a 2.2-mile stretch of road during two different cleanups. With the help of 14 volunteers, we collected 1,021 pounds of trash and 2,773 items. Guess what? Over HALF of those items were cigarette butts! In fact, cigarette butts are the number one item we have picked up so far, especially on our paved roads.

What is the problem with throwing cigarette butts out your window? Well, cigarette butts are pretty bad for the environment. The are made of tabacco, but that is not the problem. They are also made of plastic, and plastic does not biodegrade. Some people think cigarette butts can biodegrade, so they don’t think throwing them on the ground is littering. Cigarette butts also contain toxic chemicals that are bad for the environment. Want to learn more? Read this overview of the problems and solutions for cigarette butt litter.

So, can we all agree no more throwing cigarette butts out the window? When we know better, we can do better!