Surfrider wants to remind you that the beach is not an ashtray when it holds its “Hold On To Your Butt Awareness Day” Saturday, Aug. 9, from 10 to noon at the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Ventura Place at Belmont Park.
The event was organized to increase awareness and reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter that makes its way to the beach.
Cigarette butts hold the top spot for most litter items found on the beach during a beach clean up. Of all litter items collected, one in every five items was a cigarette butt. Aside from the obvious, smoking at the beach, this is because people often throw their cigarette butts into the streets when walking or driving.
“If you’re waiting to make a left-hand turn and you’ve got an island, if you look out your window you’ll see maybe 50 to 100 cigarette butts. People sit there, finish it and throw it out, ” said Ken David from the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter.
What gets flung to the streets makes its way to the through the waterways and washes down to the beach. This waste affects water enthusiasts as well as marine life.
The misconception is that cigarette butts are made of a biodegradable cotton, making it okay to dispose of them in the environment without harm. However, it contains cellulose acetate, a plastic, not cotton, which takes many years to decompose. The toxic chemicals that get trapped by the filters to prevent them from entering the body can still be emitted into the atmosphere when immersed in water. The butts are also mistaken for food by birds and fish, threatening the quality of their life and of water, according to David.
“This isn’t a ‘Don’t smoke’ message,” David said. “If people want to smoke that’s fine, just hold on to the cigarette butt and dispose of it properly.”
The California Highway Patrol and the San Diego Fire Department joined San Diego’s Surfrider Foundation chapter and other organizations in their fight against cigarette litter by creating a hotline in which people can call to report cigarette butts being tossed to the streets and freeways.
For information visit www.surfriderSD.org or call (858) 792-9940.