A huge problem affecting the world is the increase of pollution. One major substance that many over look as a lead cause of pollution is cigarette butts. These butts are flicked to the ground by business men on their smoke breaks, people driving down the road, and someone just taking a stroll. I would like to discuss the major issues with how these butts are affecting the environment. My standpoint is that people should not been throwing these little butts to the ground because of all the chemicals they initially hold. Not only do they contain a lot of hazardous substances that seep into our streets and water systems but they are also non-biodegradable unlike most believe.
The idea of this essay is in hopes that people will realize that what they are doing is very dangerous. It may be just a stub here and one there but if everyone smoked a pack a day and threw those out into the streets the numbers add up. People have misconceptions that what they are throwing away is not the poisonous part but the chemicals are still in there. These butts do not only cover the streets, but they flow through the rivers and they lay for some animal to pick apart.
The data on this topic is unbelievable. For instance, an article in the Tribune Review states, “The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported people smoked about 360 billion cigarettes last year. That meant about 135 million pounds of butts were discarded”. 132 million butts? A ridiculous amount of litter so small that no one can even tell. I have found a lot of organizations and articles of ways the community has been trying to clean up and stop this type of pollution. Pittsburgh itself has been doing a lot for the environment as well.
