Save our

Environment!
From Cigarettes litter?
Muhammad Ariq Naufal
Geodesy and Geomatics
Engineering
“This is a quote. Words full of wisdom that someone
important said and can make the reader get inspired.”

—SOMEONE FAMOUS
01 Cigarettes Litter
Even as the smoking rate has gone down, cigarette
butts seem to be everywhere, scattered along green
spaces, sidewalks, roadsides, beaches, waterways—
virtually everywhere we go.

So, it may come as no surprise that cigarettes are the

most littered item on earth. Worldwide, about 4.5
trillion cigarettes are littered each year. What does all
that cigarette waste mean for the environment? Here
are the basics about the environmental impact of
cigarette butts.
 The Fact

Cigarettes Butt
Four and a half trillion
cigarettes are littered annually.
30 percent of cigarettes
smoked end up as litter.
The filters are made of
cellulose acetate, which can take
up to 25 years to break apart.
These filters will trap the
chemicals in the tobacco, which
then leeches into the ground,
harming the ecosystem.
Cigarette butts aren’t litter -
ARE THEY??
Litter is any rubbish, no matter how small, thrown in
an open or public place - and includes dropped
cigarette butts on the ground. In fact cigarette butts are
the most littered item in Indonesia. Lack of awareness,
lack of receptacles, and ordinances that move smokers
outdoors all increase cigarette butt littering.
 Where do dropped butts end
up? Cigarette butts are small
and light and are easily blown
from place to place or washed
into the stormwater system
which carries 1 in every 10
dropped butts into the our
lakes, rivers, and streams. Or
even, trapped in our land.
It getting worst?
It is estimated that there are over 1.2 billion smokers
worldwide who purchase and use over 5 trillion
cigarettes each year, or 105 billion cigarettes per week.
Of the cigarettes sold, 99% are smoked outdoors,
which results in trillions of cigarette butts being
littered each year, at a rate of approximately 2.3 million
butts littered per minute.
As more restaurants and public buildings become
smoke-free areas, this number will only increase as
smokers move outdoors to light up.
 Cigarette Butt Litter and the
Environment:
Causes blight: Accumulates in gutters, along fencing,
outside doorways, and at bus shelters

Cigarette butts don’t disappear: Butts are made of cellulose

acetate, a plastic which can persist in the environment.

Harmful to waterways and wildlife: Littered butts leach toxic emissions (cadmium, lead,
arsenic and zinc) into water and soil as they decompose, contributing to soil and water pollution and
impacting wildlife habitat.
 How long does it take for
cigarettes to decompose?
The plastic fibers in cigarettes are non-biodegradable,
meaning they won't organically break down from
living organisms.

Although cigarettes don’t break down naturally,

they can gradually decompose depending on
environmental conditions like the rain and sun.
Estimates on the time it takes vary, but a recent
study found that a cigarette butt was only about 38
percent decomposed after two years.
02 Cigarette Littering Misconceptions
Many smokers don’t consider their
behavior littering
Some believe dropping cigarette butts to the ground and stepping on
them is acting responsibly
Some drop butts into gutters or storm drains thinking this is a safe
way to extinguish a cigarette
Some blame littering on lack of ash receptacles
 Here’s how we can help:
Use a receptacle to
Don’t throw butts out car dispose of cigarette butts,
windows. packaging, and lighting
material.

Carry a portable or
pocket ashtray when
smoking outside
 THANKS!
Does anyone have any questions?