If I asked you what the most common form of plastic pollution is, what would you say? Plastic bottles? Straws? Bags? All good, but incorrect guesses. Cigarette butts (烟头) are actually the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting our global environment.
But wait, aren’t cigarette butts made of cotton or paper? In fact, cigarette butts consist mainly of plastic and while they may be small so tend to go unnoticed, you will find them practically everywhere. Contrary to what many believe, cigarette butts are not harmless. They are made of cellulose acetate, a man-made plastic material, and contain hundreds of poisonous chemicals. While cigarette filters, or the plastic part of butts, can take up to 10 years to completely degrade (分解), the chemicals they release can remain in the environment for many more years beyond the life of the cigarette butt itself.
These remaininng poisonous substances include arsenic (also used in rat poisoning), lead (a poison that can affect the brain development of children), and nicotine. When these chemicals are improperly thrown on the street corner, out the car window, or down a drain they slowly pollute our natural water and soil systems, presenting a serious threat to people and the environment.
Cigarette butts are by far the largest single type of litter by count. Since the 1980s, cigarette butts have consistently accounted for 30-40% of all items picked up in annual international coastal and urban cleanups. This further stresses the need for comprehensive approaches to not only managing waste, but also controlling tobacco use and mitigating its broader environmental impacts. Moreover, the new World Health Organization report states that tobacco farming contributes to nearly 5% of global deforestation, with 200,000 hectares of wood biomass (生物数量) lost per year.
For five years, EARTHDAY.ORG has been driving cleanups worldwide through The Great Global Cleanup. You can join us on this journey by signing up to either join or create your own clean up event. You can encourage others to do their part as well by reminding them of the dangers of smoking and by advocating for more comprehensive waste management systems.
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