With Earth Day fast approaching, we had a discussion on the environmental impact of electric cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes and it brought us to research the topic a little further and what we found was astounding. As it turns out, cigarette butts have the highest count of all littered items in the world. In the latest reports, the cigarette butt pollution project estimated that around 5.6 trillion cigarettes are sold every year globally and 360 billion in the United States alone. The Hold On To Your Butt! Campaign has similar numbers listed for last year costing the U.S. 11 billion dollars in clean-up costs annually.
Although cigarette butts are small, they are not biodegradable and are toxic. The filters are mostly made of cellulose acetate, a non-biodegradable plastic which takes 25 years or more to decompose. The toxins themselves never go away and can cause more damage depending the environment they are dumped on. Many have the misconception that cigarette filters are made of biodegradable material, so it is important to spread the news to have a better informed audience.
The many left over toxic chemicals leak into the environment. The effects on wildlife are deadly, as many mammals on land ingest them and die from poison or choking. The same happens to fish. The continual leaching of metals and toxins into the soil and fresh and salt-water habitats also adds up.
Children are often administered to the hospital after themselves having ingested a burnt cigarette butt or ashes. Other than being an eye-sore, the estimated 1/3 of cigarette butts thrown outside on the ground are causing billions of dollars in cleaning and fire damage in the United States alone. The fire risks from cigarettes alone are a whole topic on their own.
Earth Day – April 22nd 2014
This Earth Day, we believe it is important to bring awareness to all smokers, who otherwise would never throw any garbage on the ground, yet think it’s perfectly fine to flick their cigarettes all over the place. If you see someone flicking their cigarette. Let’s keep standing together for a cleaner planet and if you’re a smoker, why not make the switch to ecigs? Do you have a family member or friend or spouse that smokes? Why not make them an awesome present? We can help you decide what the best electronic cigarette may be for you! We made a top electronic cigarette list with full reviews to help you make the right pick.
Electric Cigarettes are not only a better option for your health but the environmental impact is much smaller, a tiny fraction to what is left over with tobacco cigarettes. Many users take advantage of refillable cartridges, and one cartridge alone is the equivalent of a full pack of cigarettes. But what is important to note, is that the left over container is almost always recyclable and in fact some brands like Green Smoke offer reward programs for recycling your cartomizers. Just as important, is the fact that e-cigs do not contain much chemicals, the environmental impact of the smokeless water vapor is not dangerous. Studies have demonstrated that the vapor is harmless and the nicotine content is extremely low.
Plus e-cigarettes are fun, with all the flavors to pick from why not go ahead and give it a try already! You will be saving your health, the health of your loved ones and joining forces to have a cleaner environment, not just on Earth Day, but each and every day after.