Huron County, ON – The Huron County Health Unit would like to thank all those who helped clean up over 3,500 cigarette butts on Goderich beach on Tuesday, August 2.
23 volunteers, members of the Huron County Health Unit and members of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation came out to a recent beach clean-up that raised awareness about the negative impacts that cigarette butt litter has on our environment.
“This was a great opportunity for members of our community to learn something new and make our communities cleaner, healthier places to live and play,” says public health promotion student Michael Roy. “Volunteers worked together to collect cigarette butts along the beach, including the areas around the playgrounds where there were children playing. We also want to make sure people remember that as of January 1, 2016 it is illegal to smoke within 20 metres of any playgrounds.”
An average of 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year and never completely decompose. Over 3,500 butts were collected at the Goderich beach during the butt clean-up. The cigarette butts will be recycled as part of the Lake Huron for Coastal Conservation’s Environmental Butt Free Beach program.
“These littered butts can leach harmful chemicals into our waterways and soil,” explains Roy. “Cigarette butts have also been found in the stomachs of fish and birds, and they are toxic when ingested by young children or pets.”
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