Floridians are being urged to quit smoking this Earth Day, Friday, April 22, given the harmful effects cigarettes are having on the environment, Tobacco Free Florida and Florida Department of Health said on Wednesday, as they work to educate the state’s smokers.
“It’s time that Floridians who smoke realize the negative impact their discarded cigarettes have on the environment as well as their health,” said Kim Berfield, Deputy Secretary for the Florida Department of Health in a statement. “Quitting is a win for their health and for the environment.”
According to the statement, Florida should have an increased stake in reducing tobacco product litter, as the state’s beaches, wildlife and attractions are part of an $83 million tourism industry. Moreover, litter from tobacco products has been shown to be toxic, slow to decompose, costly to manage, and growing in volume–a trend that appears to be an unintended consequence of the increased prevalence of indoor smoking bans, which are forcing more people to smoke outside.
Cigarette butts account for an extraordinary amount of waste.
An estimated 1.69 billion pounds, or 845,000 tons, of cigarette butts accumulate as litter in lakes, in oceans, on beaches and on the rest of the planet annually. The overall littering rate for cigarette butts is 65 percent, and tobacco products comprise 38 percent of all U.S. roadway litter. Only 10 percent of cigarette butts are properly deposited in ash receptacles.
According to the UN International Maritime Organization, 177 species of marine animals and 111 species of shorebirds are affected by tobacco litter causing unnecessary malnutrition, starvation and death. Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food.
In 2009, more than three-million cigarettes or butts were picked up internationally from beaches and inland waterways as part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup, including more than one-million from U.S. beaches alone, making it by far the most littered item, according to data from the Ocean Conservancy.
Tobacco Free Florida offers a number of free resources to help smokers quit.
· Phone: Call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW to speak with a Quit Coach who will help you assess your addiction and help you create a personalized quit plan.
· Online: Enroll in the Quit for Life Program, which will help you create your own web-based quit plan that’s right for you, visit https://www.quitnow.net/florida.
· In-person: Visit the Florida Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Network’s website, http://ahectobacco.com, to locate your local AHEC and sign up for Quit Smoking Now group classes.
