Earth Day 2009 promoting environmental citizenship - Tobacco A Major Culprit..

April 22, 2009 - Litter:
The Ocean Conservancy, which coordinates cleanups worldwide, says cigarette butts are the No. 1 littered item in the world. Cigarette Butt Litter..

How the butts stack up?? Experts say cigarette butts rank at the very top of litter problems—not just for their ubiquity, but for their toxicity and non-biodegradable nature. The things stick around in sewers and soil for years, even decades. Sanitation workers can't clean them up fast enough, and volunteer cleanup crews can only pick up so many, every so often. Butts still containing traces of lit tobacco pose a serious fire hazard; extinguished ones are a threat to marine life and a temptation to toddlers on playgrounds, who tend to put most anything in their mouths. Surgeon General's warning, it contains a host of potent chemicals. Among them: carcinogens such as benzopyrene and formaldehyde; poisons such as arsenic, lead, acetone, toluene, cadmium, nicotine and benzene; and hazardous chemicals such as butane and ammonia.

Getting Tobacco Manufacturers Involved with Litter Prevention - "Earlier this year, we began carrying an anti-litter logo on several brands. We believe we have a role to play in the reduction of litter." —Jennifer Golisch, media affairs manager for Philip Morris. 2003. (Cigarette Butt Litter—Articles About Preventing Litter, Cigarette Butt Litter.)

Birmingham, England 200 drivers hit by cigarette butt fines, BirminghamMail.net, 8/11/2008. In a preliminary campaign, a total of 171 city motorists have been hit by £75 (143.2 USD) fines for throwing cigarette ends out of car windows in the month-long blitz.

Chicago - Casting Refuse and Liquids Ordinance. Under that law, a smoker caught tossing a butt from a moving car or on a public sidewalk could get fined anywhere from $50 to $200. To crack down on buttheads, the city has passed a law carrying fines of $500 if an offender is caught tossing one within 15 feet of a beach (Earlier laws mandate fines up to $200 in other city areas). Cigarettes: 1.7 billion pounds of trash by Louis R. Carlozo, Chicago Tribune Chicago, 6/17/2008.

New South Wales (NSW), Australia - Enforcement is a key issue..

Fines for cigarette litter in NSW: (in other states similar, often higher penalties apply)

• cigarette packet - $60

• unlit or extinguished cigarettes - $60

• lit cigarettes in dangerous circumstances (e.g. in dry bush) - $375 (individuals) or $750 (corporations)

• any cigarette item (unlit, lit, packet etc.) deposited from a motor vehicle - $200 (individuals) or $400 (corporations)

• lit cigarette not covered by points above - $200 (Source EPA 2001).

Peoria, IL Peoria cigarette litter campaign steps it up, by Nishi Gupta, The CW4 News, 4/17/2008. Police officers warn throwing out a cigarette butt is littering and you'll get a ticket if caught. "If you throw it from your vehicle on a public roadway, its $150. If you throw it just walking down the street, its $150," said Officer Beth Hermancinski.

If you thought Cigarette Butts Everywhere Were Bad Wait Until Disgarded SNUS Bags.. Litter is such a major problem that the can for Lorillard's snus entry -
Triumph - has been specially equipped (combi-lid) to store used bags (pouches, sachets). Triumph snus is the result of a partnership between Swedish Match and Lorillard.

Air Pollution:

global smokefree partnership..

American Lung Association: Check Out How 'Smoke Free' Your State Is..

US Water Contaminated By Pharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals, Consumers..

Earth Day 2008..