According to researchers at San Diego Stea University, one of the commonest and most toxic forms of litter in our seas are....
Cigarette Butts.
That's right! the study found that cigarette butss are more harmful to wildlife and the environment than previously thought and are as a rulst calling for a 'hazardous waste' classification: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/may/01/sdsu-study-says-cigarette-butts-kill-fish/
Those of us who regularly comb our beaches for litter will be more than familar with the common butt. Not the most pleasant of finds and one that stirs the inner beast with rage - it's plastic for goodnes sake. Do people not realise that? apparently not - or they do, they don't seem to care.
In Seaweek last year Forest & Bird collected over 2000 cigarette butts from Wellington's Oreintal beach - a City Council groomed beach so supposedly one of the capitol's cleaner ones.
Let's all take action today for Ocean's Day and stop those butts from polluting of beaches, rivers, streams and seas.
