1 / 8

Butt, Seriously…

Butt, Seriously…. AASU Cigarette Butt Clean-Up: twelve students, one hour. Cigarette butts are the most frequently littered item…. They comprise 38% of all US roadway litter & 30% of litter at “transition points” (where smokers must discontinue smoking before proceeding)

tamra
Download Presentation

Butt, Seriously…

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Butt, Seriously… AASU Cigarette Butt Clean-Up: twelve students, one hour.

  2. Cigarette butts are the most frequently littered item… • They comprise 38% of all US roadway litter & 30% of litter at “transition points” (where smokers must discontinue smoking before proceeding) • College campus landscape departments can spend up to $165,000 in cigarette clean-up & litter control (clean-up of discarded cigarettes, emptying ashtrays, etc.)

  3. Cigarettes are NOT biodegradable & will persist in the environment • Cigarette filters are made of a non-biodegradable plastic, cellulose acetate, which may take decades to break down into smaller components • They also contain hazardous chemicals and toxins which can leach into the environment, cause bioaccumulation up the food chain and damage commercial fisheries and water supplies

  4. Cigarettes can be mistaken as food by animals, fish & small children… • A comprehensive study conducted by the Clean Virginia Waterways Coalition found cigarette filters in the stomachs of bird fish & other marine creatures • Playgrounds & beaches are common areas for incidents of small children ingesting cigarette butts

  5. AASU Cigarette Butt Clean-Up Areas – 8 Sections • 1) The Sports Complex - including the Sports Center, Tennis Courts/Athletic/Intramural Fields and the P5 Parking Lot • 2) The one side of Library Drive between the Greenhouse and the P1 Parking Lot • 3 & 4) 2 halves of the main academic buildings quad • 5) Compass Point (Housing) • 6) Fine Arts/Ashmore/University Halls • 7) The Armstrong Center • 8) University Crossings & Terrace

  6. In ONE HOUR, we collected 4,003 cigarettes!!! Section 3 - 228 Section 1 - 489 Section 2 - 383 Section 4 - 132 Section 7 - 489 Section 6 - 619 Section 5 - 948 Section 8 - 715

  7. Campus Cigarette Butt Litter “Hot Spots” • Vicinities around benches, sometimes just outside entrances • The Compass Point Gazebo between the 4000 & 8000 Buildings • Very surprisingly, next to ashtrays • Plant beds around the Sports Complex • Near bike racks • Curbs

  8. What can you do to help? • If you are a smoker, please deposit your cigarette butts in a public/personal ashtray • Avoid smoking on campus or better yet… • QUIT SMOKING  There are free on-campus smoking cessation classes available to you & if you are uninsured and ready to quit, you may be eligible for FREE Nicotine Replacement Therapy (in the patch or gum form) through the GA Tobacco Quit Line: 1.877.270.STOP • Advocate for a smoke-free campus

More Related