Used Cigarette Butts piles the grass patches and walk ways of Singapore (and many other countries too). These are a sight for sore eyes, and cause more than trouble to our cleaners who work tirelessly to clean up after us.

4.5 trillion cigarettes are discarded every year, that makes them the most littered item on earth. Disposing of cigarettes on the ground or out of a car is so common that 75 percent of smokers report doing it. Many have the misconception that cigarettes are biodegradable, however they don’t break down naturally. They do gradually decompose but a cigarette butt only decomposes by about 38% even after two years. 

Throwing cigarette butts into the environment inhibits plant growths and can also get into waterways, which eventually become harmful to marine and land animals, just like this poor bird in the picture. The nicotine, heavy metals and many other harmful chemicals such as lead and arsenic, a toxic chemical used to kill rats, are absorbed into the surroundings. 

Let's all pledge to make it a habit to stop mindlessly throwing cigarette butts on the ground!