Now go easy on my boys and girls but as someone who used to smoke.... if there was a place or way to put them out then they would end up in that place instead of going out the window. In other words, if someone was going to stub out a butt in an ashtray, then it is virtually certain that that person would not then take that butt and chuck it outside; he / she would just drop it in the place where he/ she stubbed it out. So cigarette butts getting tossed out the window unlit is not likely.
As to tossing them out the window.... well, that is just nasty, evil and kinda' gross I guess, even back when I used to do it (easy, easy, I can explain.... maybe). Now in my own vehicles, I always used the ashtray for butts (although the actual ashes did usually go out the window but hey, that is not really making much of a mess IMO). But in rental cars or when (gasp and wait for it....) on the bike, there was no place to put the butts. ?? Of course as a responsible human I should have brought some kind of ashtray with me but the fact is that I did not. Sorry to all those in my wake.
Now that I do not smoke but have successfully remained a very much NOT reformed smoker (you can still smoke at MY house, I will give you an ashtray), I guess I take a bit of pity on the poor smokers out there. True they are making a mess and behaving irresponsibly just as I did sometimes but let's face it, it is a relatively small mess and not the cause of world pollution IMO. And those of us old enough to do this often grew up in an era where tossing stuff was socially acceptable and we just did not know any better. I know that is not an excuse for everything / anything but I am just putting out perhaps a slightly more generous view of what is poor behavior.
But anyway, I do not smoke anymore, do not condone smoker's bad behavior but perhaps I just do not view it as atrocious. And in the end, smoking is definitely on the wane due mostly to the great social pressure against it, very high cost (brought on by extreme taxes, brought on by the socially unacceptability of smoking along with the resultant health care costs) and health risks. So I think the problem will sort of taper out over time.
And while I am on this topic- the reason I quit was so I could ride time limited, long distance events on a motorcycle. I could smoke on the bike- no problem. I could even 'spark one up' on the bike- again, no problem. I could ah..... get rid of the 'smoking residue' while riding. But what I could NOT do was smoke on the bike.... in the rain. So stopping every 20, 30 minutes and finding a covered area to have a smoke would have prevented me from riding in any reasonably timed events simply because there is not time to squeeze all those smoking stops (yeah, that just did not sound right) into a given ride. The health, cost and social benefits are all great, as is the freedom I am now enjoying for the first time as an adult (it is really tough being an addict and consumes an amazingly gigantic proportion of your life looking for the next time and place where you can service that addiction) but the thing that really made me quit was motorcycle riding- go figure.
Brian
No Brian, it is not a small mess at all...
"It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places every single day. In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate tow, NOT COTTON, and they can take decades to degrade. Not only does cigarette litter ruin even the most picturesque setting, but the toxic residue in cigarette filters is damaging to the environment, and littered butts cause numerous fires every year, some of them fatal. "
"Cigarette butts also present a threat to wildlife. Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food ... Composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, cigarette butts can persist in the environment as long as other forms of plastic.
There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding cigarette butt litter. The biggest myth is that cigarette filters are biodegradable. In fact, cigarette butts are not biodegradable in the sense that most people think of the word. The acetate (plastic) filters can take many years to decompose. Smokers may not realize that their actions have such a lasting, negative impact on the environment.
This myth has been perpetuated not just by the wishful thinking of many smokers, but also by the cigarette companies, who have taken great pains to keep their customers in the dark on this issue. It is very common for highly littered items such as soda cans, snack wrappers, and fast food containers to have a simple "Please Don't Litter" message. You won't find such a message on cigarette packs. Although our contacts in the industry are at a loss as to why they can't take this simple step, our best guess is that they would prefer to leave their customers blissfully ignorant. Maybe they think that people will smoke fewer cigarettes if they have to be responsible for disposing of them. We think they ought to give their customers the benefit of the doubt. Smoking and littering do not have to be synonymous, as many smokers have proven by example.
What happens after that butt gets casually flicked onto the street, nature trail, or beach? Typically wind and rain carry the cigarette into the water supply, where the toxic chemicals the cigarette filter was designed to trap leak out into aquatic ecosystems, threatening the quality of the water and many aquatic lifeforms. Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several trillion butts littered every year, the toxic chemicals add up!
The best way to educate the public about this serious environmental problem is to start with people you know. If someone you know litters their cigarettes, just point them to this site. Tell them if they visit the site, you won't bug them again, but don't let them remain blissfully ignorant! If you really feel uncomfortable addressing the issue head on, check out our anonymous e-mail page, which sends a friendly notice about the importance of proper cigarette butt disposal. Talking over the problem in person is more effective, but an anonymous communication is much better than none at all. "
I always tell folks where they can put their butts when I see them throw 'em out of their windows!