Everyone from Marriott and Hyatt to Starbucks and McDonald’s are implementing their own plastic straw bans.
But according to a new report from NBC News, the source of our collective energy may be misplaced.
The report suggests that the biggest man-made contaminant of the world’s oceans is not plastic straws, or even plastic bags, but cigarette butts.
Cigarette butts are not only ubiquitous, but also their disposal has largely been unregulated, meaning a nearly unlimited number hit the seas.
A campaign, the Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, hopes to ban cigarette filters, which are made from cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that can take over a decade to decompose, according to NBC.
But so far, these efforts have fallen flat, with smokers predominantly preferring to flick their cigarette butts.
While tobacco companies and startups continue to look for alternative to growing cigarette waste, Novotny and others are fighting to get legislation passed that would ban cigarette filters. »
