A cigarette butt dropped to the ground seems insignificant.  But follow that butt as it’s carried off by rain into storm drains and eventually to streams and rivers. It now adds up to a big impact on the places we live:

Cigarette butt litter creates blight. It accumulates in gutters, and outside doorways and bus shelters. It’s the number one most littered item anywhere. Increasing amounts of litter in a business district, along riverfronts, or recreation areas create a sense that no one cares, leading to more community disorder and crime.¹

Cigarette butts don’t disappear.  About 95% of cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic which does not quickly degrade and can persist in the environment.²

Filters are harmful to waterways and wildlife. About 18% of litter, traveling primarily through storm water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, and waterways. Nearly 80% of marine debris comes from land-based sources. Cigarette butt litter can also pose a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake filters for food.³

Learn more about why cigarette litter matters:

• What is the economic impact of cigarette litter?
• What are some common misconceptions about cigarette litter?

¹ "Can the Can" The Economist http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12630201
² Clean VA Waterways http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/cigarettelitterhome.html
³ Faris, J. and Hart, K., Seas of Debris: A Summary of the Third International Conference on Marine Debris, N.C. Sea Grant College Program and NOAA, 1994, title page.