San Francisco, CA - They’re everywhere. On the streets, in gutters; even collecting in pools of water. Little orange and white rolls of paper and tobacco. Cigarettes. Once used, these unfriendly remains haunt our down towns and our backyards. But it’s time to say goodbye to the orange and white…in San Francisco at least. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee unanimously supported a measure that will help get rid of the stubs of used cigarettes.

The measure would increase the price of cigarettes by $0.20 per pack. The hike in price isn’t simply to discourage the purchase of cigarettes, but to help mitigate the costs of cigarette clean-up, relying on those who use cigarettes to help clean up.

Studies done by the city show that 25% of all litter found on sidewalks and in gutters is cigarette related. The $0.20 per pack of cigarettes would be reported and remitted on a regular basis by the retailers who collect the money at the counter. The funds would then be dispersed by the city  for use in litter collection.

“All litter creates unnecessary costs for the city and its taxpayers,” said Mayor Newsom. “Cigarette butts are a big part of the problem.” Newsom, who commended the Board for their support of the fee on Monday, June 29, included this fee as a line item in his June 1 budget and introduced this legislation to enact a regulatory fee to recover these costs from the consumers of cigarettes.

Not only are cigarette butts eyesores, but they are harmful to the environment as well. ”Cigarette butts contain benzene and toxic heavy metals that can poison the marine environment and leach into groundwater,” said Newsom.

According to Newsom, researchers at San Diego State University have found that chemicals found in just one filtered cigarette butt can kill all living fish in a one liter bucket of water.

While the fee looked strong in its first reading on Monday, it could still be stomped out by the complete Board next week at its decisive vote.

Photo Credit: fragglerawker_03 via flickr under Creative Commons License

Alexandra Guerrero, a Chilean designer discovered that by using found cigarette butts, she could clean them and then spin them with wool to produce a yarn to knit and crochet into clothing.

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Apa Sherpa, 49, has climbed Mount Everest a record 18 times but now he’s preparing for a 19th, this time to clean up the mess left by the thousands of climbers who have scaled the mountain since 1953.

Apa, a high-altitude guide, plans to take the Eco Everest Expedition up the mountain to clean up garbage left by previous expeditions. Climbers have noted the build-up of waste on the mountain for several years.

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The garbage cleanup was part of the Ocean Conservancy’s annual Coastal Cleanup. Information about the types of garbage found during the cleanup was compiled into a report that will help planners to understand and address the problem of litter.

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Schlumpy? Huh? Schlumpy’s an 8-foot plastic bag ball touring the country to build awareness of the 100 billion plastic shopping bags Americans use each year. That’s right… billion!

Want to help Schlumpy out on his crusade?

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Now, it must be said by way of comparison that Korean cities are by and large much cleaner than American ones. Or at least it’s fair to say that the dodgiest parts of Korea’s large cities are still much nicer than their American counterparts. Almost unimaginable in Korea are the dingy, urine stained shop fronts of San Francisco’s Market Street or the sprawling cardboard-house ghettos of LA’s Skid Row. However, almost everywhere you go in Korea you’re unfortunately bound to run into litter.

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Our hunt for an alternative cat litter began when our vet said that clay litter was a respiratory irritant. The more we researched cat litter, the more we learned that clay wasn’t just bad for our sweet kitties, it was bad for the planet. Clay, which makes up about 90% of the cat litters on the market, does not biodegrade. On top of that, much of the clay used in cat litter comes from strip mining. Yikes! Luckily there are all sorts of good options out there!

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The Great American Cleanup begins today with a national launch event in Waveland, Miss., which will help  restore a hurricane-ravaged town along the Gulf Coast. It will continue through May 31 with additional national events being held in New York City on Earth Day and Nashville on May 14.

Millions of volunteers will work to rid streets, waterways and public spaces of litter and illegal dumpsites.  Communities will green up parks, schoolyards and other public spaces and hold recycling drives and educational events.

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The New York Times reports that various plastic bag-reduction initiatives around the country are stalling – or flatlining – due to economics. The plans in the works in places like Seattle, San Francisco and New York have included charges of 5 to 20 cents per plastic bag – and in some cases, paper bags – at, for example, grocery stores.

The intent is – was – to foster a reusable bag culture and wean consumers off their plastic bag dependency. Now, critics are saying the rough economic road we’re on these days is cause enough to halt progress of those initiatives – and related legislative proposals.

Why?

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For the second time in four years, KB Toys filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed doors for good after the winter holidays.  NorthJersey.com describes the company’s financial downfall:

KB blamed the difficult economy for the filing, but toy industry experts said wrong decisions by the retailer hastened its demise. It had shifted its focus to mall-based stores, saddling itself with high rents just as shopping-center traffic was dropping; it stopped selling video-game consoles; and it moved its merchandise mix away from hot toys and toward closeouts.

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“Schools have an important part to play in helping young people to build a greener future for us all and it’s young people that will lead the way in creating a healthy environment for future generations,” says Secretary Benn.

Run by Keep Britain Tidy, the Eco-Schools program encourages children and teachers to make their school more environmentally-friendly and sustainable.  They follow a simple seven step process covering themes including waste, healthy living and biodiversity.

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Being this is my first post with Green Options, and with Eco Child’s Play, I thought I’d confer with my son about what the topic should be.  His answer went something like this…

“You need to tell people that we only have one Earth, and we need to take better care of it.  Also, people need to stop littering.  That’s gross.  Besides, when you think about it, the Earth is our home…and you don’t throw garbage around on the floor of your home!”

What a brilliant analogy.  That’s one thing I love about children, they tell it like it is.

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Of course, autumn brings the natural surroundings into their dying season, the time of falling into a state of rest after sprouting in spring and ripening in summer. Still, a walk in the woods will reveal that even this “dying” season is full of life and wonder, from the acorns hitting you on the head to the fallen leaves swishing around your feet.

But wandering through the woods in this season can also be dangerous because it is a particularly active hunting season. So if you like orange, you will do well to don an extra bit of it so that an eager hunter does not mistake you for a deer, bear, or some other living thing to shoot for. Better safe than sorry.

Wandering through the woods during hunting season is disconcerting, if not dangerous, for another reason as well. Those same hunters with itchy trigger fingers frequently drop more than just shell casings and, sadly, various woodland creatures.

As you stumble through the swishing blanket of leaves, you may well stumble upon and even trip over any number of bottles, cans, boxes, bags, and other bits of litter that hunters often leave behind. It seems that stalking prey is a pretty energy-intensive activity, requiring ample supplies of beer, soda, and convenience foods, among other hunting accessories, to keep the hunting senses keen. (Another favorite seems to be tobacco dip. A bottle or can filled with the spit-water from this surely toxic concoction will likely leave you thinking you have come upon a dead animal; you will certainly not be inclined to pick the litter up!)

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At first I was perplexed: Why would someone empty his or (less likely) her ashtray at an intersection? And why cigars?

But then my confusion turned to consternation. Here I was, stopped atop a pile of someone’s waste after having just driven over the mighty Rivanna River, with mountains and trees and blossoms and birds and blue sky virtually enveloping my senses, and now plastic cigar tips present themselves to my perception!

Alas, my heart sank like a stone in that roiling river I had just traversed.

Ever since that traumatic experience in an otherwise idyllic setting, the presence of human detritus has grown ever more prominent in my environmental awareness. Fast-food containers, plastic grocery bags, soda-pop bottles, sometimes even car parts—-here, there, everywhere, it seems that humanity is only visible in the things it has thrown away.

Almost everywhere nowadays, not just in my fairly rural locale, any patch of grass or stand of trees seems be a field of litter waiting for harvest.

But the farmers and the field hands seem to be sleeping in this season.

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I drove through route 3. It runs across Argentina from north to south, next to the Atlantic coast. Here you can see a beautiful landscape, steppe to one side and deep blue ocean to the other.

Patagonia: it’s a land of dinosaurs, oil and strong winds. The latter is responsible for a horrifying realization–how dirty it is! The last time I visited Patagonia was six years ago, and I didn’t see the mass amount of plastic bags everywhere.

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For another part, the common people don’t have the conscience or awareness of “not littering.” They throw anything out the window of their cars, as the laws won’t fine them money. Nevertheless, the people adore nature, because it´s beautiful, and they like to enjoy it, only that very few take care that it continues to be beautiful.Some people see [environmentalists] as hypocrites for calling themselves ecologists while continuing to consume pollutedly in their daily lives. Others applaud them, but continue with the course of their lives.

[I don't consider myself an environmentalist] because apart from trying to be, I continue to pollute in one form or another.

Michael Hudson: Environmentalism in Venezuela | I see the Venezuelan’s stance towards the environment as identical to that of the U.S. There is the odd practicing environmentalist who walks, bicycles or climbs into a packed tram, minibus, or subway just in principal. However the majority are mostly talk. Just like in the U.S., people here complain constantly about pollution, and the environment is always at the front line when they don´t want something to happen, but very few are willing to consume less packaged goods or drive less.

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It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide each year. In the US, and around the world, it is wins the "most littered item" prize.

The butts are harmful to wildlife and have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, and whales. Plus, those toxic chemicals that the filter was designed to keep from entering the body, stay there - until, of course, the butt reaches a body of water and the chemicals start to leak out. Tossed cigarette butts are also the cause of countless fires.

So what can we do?

If you are a smoker, dispose of your butts properly. You might even want to consider a pocket ashtray. As The Smoking Section says, "Considerate smokers don't litter. Those who do deserve criticism as much as any other litterer."

If you don't smoke, but know someone who does, and litters along with it, send them an anonymous email letting them know the facts.

We can all do our part by picking up litter, including cigarette butts, and getting them to a trash can. Better that we do it than to allow the litter to continue to harm the environment.

Rebecca says: I hope that some of you readers will send some anonymous emails (or just speak with your friends directly). I'd love to hear your thoughts in this issue. Leave a comment!

Resources:

CigaretteLitter.org

Cigarette Butt Litter

Keep America Beautiful:Cigarette Litter Prevention Program

It's strange, though, isn't it? People keep making them. They hire people to stand on street corners and hand them out. Others are convinced that by leaving them on windshields, they are hitting their target market. Isn't it interesting, however, how even people with genuine manners have no issue with throwing these papers directly on the ground? About 5 steps from the location of the flyer-hander-outers, you'll begin to see a long trail of litter.

Cities such as Long Beach and Miami Beach are trying to improve the problem that plagues their cities. But there are many things that you can do to improve this situation on your own.

First of all, if you have a business or event that you are promoting, think twice, thrice, or as many times as is necessary when considering fliers as a method as marketing. Then figure out a waste-free way to get the job done. Also consider the fact that most fliers get junked before anyone even looks at them. Target your market more closely and make an impact on people that will truly be interested.

Secondly, and most importantly, when someone offers you a flyer - DON'T TAKE IT. Kindly say no thank you and walk on by. If it is absolutely killing you to see what they are advertising, take one. Then stop walking, read it, and return it to the person. Sometimes you'll get a funny look, but just tell them you live a paperless life - simplified and very eco-tastic.

Rebecca says: Flyers are a big pet peeve of mine. Since starting greenerMIAMI, I've often called out individual companies that pay for this form of advertising that creates litter in the streets. Since then, I have made a conscious effort to not accept fliers, to help get them into trash cans, and to convince marketers that this is not the answer. Please join me!

Photo credit Wikipedia user Ld