Keep LW beautiful: Dispose of cigarette butts properly

The international organization Ocean Conservancy lists cigarette butts as the top kind of trash they see in oceans, lakes, rivers and streams around the world. When cigarette butts enter a storm drain, they pose a significant environmental danger as the toxic chemicals within them leach into waterways. They harm aquatic life, pollute water sources releasing harmful substances like nicotine, lead, arsenic, and cadmium into the environment. They essentially act as a microplastic pollutant that can be ingested by animals.

Many residential buildings in Leisure World are no-smoking zones which forces smokers to go outside away from their homes to smoke. The bus benches then become good spots and their nearby gutters become unintended ash trays. It takes about 2-5 years for a cigarette butt to decompose and those littering Leisure World gutters have a short quick ride to the ocean off Seal Beach. A cigarette butt is just a small piece of trash, but it’s a big deal to the environment.