Cigarette Butts Hurt the Dirt
As awareness surrounding littering and its impacts on ecosystems grows, many people are more aware of the negative effects littered cigarette butts can have on aquatic and marine ecosystems. What is often less spoken of is that littered cigarette butts can also cause soil contamination and can restrain the growth of plants.
Cigarette butts are the most commonly found piece of litter in the world, with more than 4.5 trillion being littered worldwide every year. To date, A Greener Future has picked up over one million cigarette butts in the Southern Ontario region alone!
A study recently published out of Anglia Ruskin University found that a high presence of cigarette butts on soil negatively affected the length of shoots, and the success of germination in Ryegrass and white clover. There was also a significant reduction in the root weight of clover specifically. These plant species are important crops for livestock, and are also commonly found in parks and other greenspaces. Both plant species are ecologically significant and are important for maintaining biodiversity. The study also found that smoked butts had essentially the same impact on soil as unsmoked butts, indicating that the negative impact on plants could be from the plastic-based filters, which breakdown over years or decades.
Filters are not the only issue though. An additional study on peppermint and basil plants revealed that the nicotine leached into soil from cigarette butts can actually be absorbed by the plant growing there. According to this study, traces of nicotine are found in a large number of food crops and plant derived products, raising concerns about the effects that cigarette litter could have on the food industry.
These studies are both evidence of why proper cigarette butt disposal is so important, while also raising questions about what kind of impacts littered butts may have on plant growth and soil health over prolonged periods of time. In the meantime, by practicing proper butt disposal, and ensuring there are options available for smokers, we can avoid the issue in its entirety!
Program Assistant, A Greener Future