When we think of plastic waste in the oceans, we usually imagine plastic bags, bottles, old fishing nets and similiar stuff. But recent studies have shown, that the most important factor in oceanic pollution might be cigarette buds.
If you start to look for plastic waste on the ground, cigarette buds will be most likely to be found. Immense amounts of them can be found at beaches and in the oceans. Cleaning projects around the world discovered, that they are the most frequently detected peaces of trash. An incredible number of 6 trillion cigarettes are consumed every year! Mostly of them contain filters which are the sad remainings of this unhelthy stuff. When released into the environment, they become even more deadly. Even if it might look harmless, a cigarette bud isn't just a small peace of cotton.
Each cigarette bud is a tiny toxic dump
As they work as filters, they contain all the toxines absorbed from the burnt tobacco inside the cigarette. This makes every cigarette bud a tiny toxic dump. During the manufacturing process, the material of the cigarette filters become a snythetic, i. e. plastic. The result is, that their decomposing takes several decades. During this time the toxines contained by the buds are being released into the environment. The biggest damage is done, when animals mistake it for food and feed from it. Not only are they being poisoned. They mostly starve to death because they can neither digest nor exrete the plastic inside their stomache. But this ain't still enough. High concentrations of toxines can poison water and soil, so that it becomes a deadly habitat for small organisms like microbes, daphnia or the tiny brood of bigger animals.
What can we do?
🌸 Don't smoke ;)
🌸 If you smoke, always carry a little pocket ashtray with you.
You can use for excample a small screw top jar, so your bags and pockets will stay clean. Carry your cigarette buds with you and dispose them into the next dustbin.
🌸 If you see somebody throwing away his cigarette bud, talk to him.
Tell him what you learned from this website and ask the person to act responsibly. Always talk kind, not every person is already aware of environmental problems.
🌸 If you spend your free time on the beach or at the shore, take some time to collect thrown away cigarette buds.
Why not make a competition with your friends: Who will collect most? How long did it take you to collect a certain amount of buds?
Report on your successes using your social media channels, following the steps as shown at the PROJECT.
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