Hold on to your butt

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 cigarette butt pollution occurring in the City of Vancouver.

450,000

is the number of Cigarette butts littered in vancouver every day.

YOU CAN HELP CHANGE THAT!

 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CIGARETTE BUTTS

• 4.95 trillion cigarette butts are disposed of in our environment annually, thrown onto the ground and beaches.

• Cigarette butt filters are made of cellulose acetate, a non-biodegradable plastic, which can take up to 25 years to decompose.

• Once in the environment, the cigarette butt will break down into micro and nanoparticles of plastic releasing 7,000 toxic chemical substances.

• Nicotine from butts can seep into water within 24 hours, potentially contaminating up to 1,000 litres of water.

• Surfrider Vancouver volunteers have collected 44,381 butts from beach cleanups since 2017.

• Cigarette butt waste can inhibit the growth of marine plants and release enough toxins to cause a 50% mortatlily rate in fish within 96 hours.

• Cigarette butts have been ingested by sea turtles, birds, dolphins and other marine life. The leach toxins when wet, contain up to 60 known carcinogens and leach chemicals such as cadmium, lead, and arsenic.

• Cigarette butts pose a significant fire threat. In Vancouver, an average of 71 fires each year are caused by smoking.

Goals for Hold On To Your Butt campaign

  • • Reduce cigarette litter in Vancouver

  • • Increase public awareness about the problem.

  • • Advocate for a robust communications plan to raise awareness on cigarette but littering fines and environmental impacts.

  • • Educate consumers about the impacts of all smoking related litter on the environment

“Ciggy Stardust”

For Ocean Week Canada on June 10th, 2023, Surfrider Vancouver unveiled “Ciggy Stardust”, a visual representation of ocean cigarette waste in the form of a sculptured youth Southern Resident orca whale covered in over 6,200 sorted and meticulously trimmed cigarette butts found on our local beaches.

This culturally and ecologically significant orca population is currently at risk of extinction with only 73 individuals left in the three Southern Resident pods. The exhibit establishes a link between urban cigarette pollution and our deep connection to the Salish Sea and it’s protection.

Using this visual representation of cigarette waste, Surfrider Vancouver will continue to advocate for the policies and societal shifts in behaviour which addresses cigarette pollution and the protection of our ocean, beaches, and waves for future generations.

Thanks to all the partners who made “ciggy stardust” possible along with all the volunteers of Surfrider who collected cigarette butts between 2018-2023 and the E.C of 2023!

Help spread the word!

Did you know there is a fine for littering cigarette butts? Discarding cigarette butts on the ground is subject to a minimum fine of $250 up to $10,000!

Due to the presence of batteries, electronic components, and tobacco or cannabis residue, vaping and e-cigarette devices are considered hazardous waste in British Columbia. While there is currently no extended producer responsibility program for these items, some smoke shops will take back these devices for recycling by the producer. If your device cannot be recycled this way, the next best option is to remove and recycle the batteries, and place the rest of the device in the garbage.

USE POCKET ASHTRAYS!

They serve as an on-the-go cigarette butt container.

PURCHASE ON-THE-GO BUTT CONTAINERS HERE

SHARE SHARE SHARE! #HOTYB

Share our content from Surfrider HOTYB campaign on instagram and use the #HOTYB call to action.

Cigarette butt pollution continues to be one of the most prevalent pollutants that goes unaddressed by local, provincial and federal governments in Canada.

Surfrider Vancouver Chapter’s Hold On To Your Butt campaign is aimed at eliminating cigarette butt litter and pollution because of the impact on beaches and the ocean. Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world and most butts are made of cellulose acetate - a type of plastic. 

Vancouver is no exception, 50% of litter in this city is cigarette butts. The City of Vancouver has bylaws that prohibit smoking in parks and beaches, littering fines, and a pocket ashtray program. Despite these interventions, Surfrider Vancouver is continually collecting butts from beaches. Without enforcement of these bylaws, a robust communications plan, and increased cigarette collection units around the city, this problem will continue to persist.

This is why Hold On To Your Butt campaign aims to raise awareness about the environmental impact of cigarette litter, as well as lower the amount of cigarette butt pollution occurring in the City of Vancouver.

Hold On To Your Butt Tactics

To date, the Surfrider Vancouver Chapter created an art piece during World Oceans Week in June 2023: the cigarette butt orca.

Made from over 3000 cigarette butts collected from Vancouver’s beaches in 2018-2019, this poignant art piece serves as a call to action to join the effort of preventing cigarette butts from entering the aquatic environment. During the cleanup, an additional 2928 butts were collected from the beach and used in the orca.

Stay tuned as we launch more creative tactics to bring awareness to this issue and to influence decision makers to support our campaign!

To volunteer, donate or partner on the Hold On To Your Butt Campaign, contact:

Carla Limon
vicechair@vancouver.surfrider.org