Cigarette Butts

Smokers around the world buy roughly 6.5 trillion cigarettes each year.

Cigarette filters are made of a plastic called cellulose acetate. When tossed into the environment, they dump not only that plastic, but also the nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals they’ve absorbed into the surrounding environment.

A recent study found that cigarette butts also inhibit plant growth. They also routinely get into waterways, and eventually the sea.