Open Letter to Those Who Throw Cigarette Butts on the Ground

No, I don't smoke. I've never smoked. However, I will never understand why smokers think it's okay to just throw their butts on the ground. I'm sorry did you not pay attention in elementary school when they told you littering is bad? Was that previous statement dripping in sarcasm? Yup, but it is well deserved. There is no good reason to do this. It's laziness.

This morning while driving into work, a truck was driving in front of me. As I got closer I could see the driver toss a cigarette butt out of the window. Not only did the driver toss the cigarette butt out of the window, but the cigarette was still lit. Do they not know what's going on in Australia? I'm not saying that those fires were started by cigarettes, but fires do start because of them.

According to the National Ocean Service, one of the most commonly found types of garbage on the beach is cigarette butts. The filters don't degrade well and end up becoming microplastics. Do you know an easy way to prevent this from happening? All you have to do is properly dispose of your cigarette butts. That's a novel idea, isn't it?

Since I brought up Australia before, let's quote one of their fire and rescue. The Fire and Rescue New South Wales has stated, "Every year the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is called to hundreds of roadside fires believed to be caused by discarded butts." In this country, "Nearly 85 percent* of wildland fires in the United States are caused by humans," according to the National Parks Service. This does include cigarette butts. Are you willing to gamble an entire forest and the animals that live in that forest just because you can't do the proper thing?

It's just plain disgusting to walk up to a restaurant and see the ground littered with cigarette butts. There is no excuse for adults to act in such a way. Put out your cigarette and throw out the butt like a grown adult. If your kid just tossed something on the ground as mindlessly as those who toss their cigarette butts, wouldn't you reprimand them? Be better. Do better.