Coastal Cleanup Day Targets Billions of Cigarettes

October 16, 2014- A discarded cigarette is easy to overlook, but tobacco litter can be a big problem in areas around San Francisco Bay. It was the major focus of last month’s California Coast Cleanup Day – the state’s largest volunteer event.

Hundreds of volunteers carried plastic bags and gloves and combed Bay Area parks, beaches and creeks to remove tons of trash as part of Coastal Cleanup Day, sponsored by the California Coastal Commission. It says that cigarette butts are the top source of trash. Casually thrown to the ground, they wash into streams, then into the bay, where they pollute water and harm wildlife. Cigarette filters contain plastic and toxins. They also take a long time to biodegrade and can choke wildlife.

The group Save The Bay is calling on cities in the Bay Area to stop the litter at its source by adopting and enforcing outdoor smoking bans that keep cigarettes off streets and out of waterways. It says that 3 billion butts are littered each year in nearby communities.

Read the full contracostatimes.com post here.

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