We are all well aware of the effects of smoking on our health. But how about on our environment? I do not think so. We know that if we do not stop the habit we may end up suffering various diseases, but how about its effects to the people around us? Cigarette smoking has varied effects on the global environment.
Butt Litter
There is an estimated 4.5 trillion butts which are non-biodegradable that are discarded into the environment every year. It has also been suggested that these butts represent one of the biggest litter problems the world faces today. In addition, it has been estimated that 1 in every 3 cigarettes end up as a litter. These cigarette butts can take up to 12 years to break down. Basically, the filter is composed of cellulose acetate which is a form of plastic, and as we all know, they do not decompose easily and there are many forms of plastic can even take up to 1, 000 years before they decompose.
