There is no disputing that butt litter, just like litter in general has an environmental, economic and social impact on the community.
Research studies, both in Australia and overseas, have looked at many aspects of the impact of butt litter particularly those on the environment. While none of these studies or the data they have collected are definitive in their own right, they do highlight the impacts caused by the inappropriate disposal of cigarette butts and why the need to 'butt it, then bin it' is so important.
When the impacts of butt littering are understood, we know that it helps to influence both the attitudes and the behaviour of smokers who litter their butts. This helps to shape appropriate campaigns and projects that tackle the issue of butt littering head on to bring about behavioural change.
As with other external research on this site, Butt Free Australia makes no warranty or representation about the accuracy, suitability or completeness of any of the work in this section and does not necessarily endorse any of the results or views put forward. The intention is to provide an easy and accessible source of information for those interested in knowing more about the impacts of cigarette butt littering.
Links
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Cigarette butts and fire:
New South Wales Government – NSW Fire Brigades - www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=327
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Marine debris:
Ocean Conservancy (USA) - www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=issues_debris
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Cigarette butts and marine life:
"Cigarette butts as litter – toxic as well as ugly", First appeared in "Underwater Naturalist", Bulletin of the American Littoral Society, Volume 25, Number 2, August 2000 - www.longwood.edu/CLEANVA/ciglitterarticle.htm
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Ingestion:
Ingestion of Cigarettes and Cigarette Butts by Children. Rhode Island, January 1994-July 1996 - www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046181.htm
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Various collected stats:
Cigarette Litter - www.cigarettelitter.org
