HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTT! (#HOTYB)
The Hold On To Your Butt Campaign aims to raise awareness about the environmental impact of cigarette butt litter in the oceans, waves and beaches, as well as lower the amount of pollution occurring through our cigarette butt recycling program. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate cigarette butt litter in Tofino, Ucluelet and beyond.
CIGARETTE BUTTS RECYCLED TO DATE:
1.7 Million
4.95 TRILLION butts are thrown away every year, finding their way onto streets, sidewalks, and public spaces. These littered butts eventually make their way into the ocean via storm drain run off. To find an end-of-life solution to this pollution, we have partnered with TerraCycle who recycle the cigarette butts into new products!
This cause gained a huge win in May 2018 as the District of Tofino implemented a smoking regulation bylaw. This regulation includes a ban on smoking in public areas, including on beaches. Legally, this means people who smoke need to do so in designated smoking areas.
To read more about the Regulation, click HERE!
Many of these smoking areas have a Surfrider recycling canister, making it even easier for folks to recycle their butts! Your business or organization can work with us to reduce cigarette litter by sponsoring a canister in an identified pollution hotspot! Your leadership will be recognized in all HOTYB print and digital media.
Current HOTYB Canister Locations
If you do not happen to be near one of these entrances when discarding a butt, or have picked up a butt that has been littered and there is no canister in sight, HOLD ON to it until you get to the nearest location below
Please join Surfrider Pacific Rim and kindly help direct smokers to these canisters, and let them know their butts will be recycled!
Please reach out to our HOTYB leads if you would like to be part of this epic campaign, buy a private canister, or volunteer for the HOTYB team!
Environmental Impact of Cigarette Butts
4.95 trillion cigarette butts are disposed of in our environment annually, thrown onto the ground an beaches
Cigarette butts leach toxins when wet, they contain up to 60 known carcinogens, and they leach chemicals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic within an hour of contact with the water.
Cigarette butts pose a significant fire threat.
Cigarette butts have been ingested by sea turtles, birds, dolphins and other marine life. In addition to the toxic chemicals they contain, these butts can also cause digestive blockages that lead to death.
On Pacific Rim beaches last year, more than 6,000 cigarette butts were collected during beach clean-ups by volunteers!
Cigarette butt filters are made of cellulose acetate, a non-biodegradable plastic, which can take up to 25 years to decompose
Cigarette butt clean-up costs over 11 billion annually in the US.
Cigarette butts are the most prevalent type of debris collected in beach clean-ups around the world, and they are consistently the number one form of litter (by count) found on our local beaches.