If you needed yet another reason to quit smoking, here it is.
I live in the US and it’s becoming more and more unusual in many places to see people smoking. As a result, I see fewer discarded cigarette butts than ever. Still not zero, but getting there.
It’s the hardest thing about traveling to Europe for me. I love being in Europe, but after living in a part of the US with almost no smokers it is jarring to smell cigarette smoke everywhere on the streets there.
I live in the U.S. too and I still see a ton here in Indiana, but we also apparently have a nicotine addiction epidemic here that no one talks about much.
As of 2022:
Nearly 29% of Indiana adults currently use tobacco. Combustible cigarettes are the most used tobacco product, followed by e-cigarettes.
I’m in Western NY, but even in NYC it’s less than 9%. The state offers a lot of support for quitting, perhaps that’s why.
Aren’t cigarettes like $15 a pack there? That probably has something to do with it.
They’re $15 throughout the state. So they’re probably more in the city.
Reservation cigarettes negate those prices though.
Reservation cigarettes negate those prices though.
TIL that, on at least some Indian reservations in the United States, cigarettes are sold, sold at a lower price and sold to the general public. I could not find a reference on Wikipedia; all I found was a seemingly unofficial webpage.
I thought tires were responsible for like 25% of micro plastics.
Never mind. I just read what I wrote, and realized they’re two different things.
Aren’t microplastics from car tires more common?
I thought so too, and maybe they are using a different metric in this article, but I couldn’t tell you since their source URL is a deadline…
I also remember Coke, Pepsi, and Nestle being claimed as the highest plastic polluters as well.
Dislike smoking but realize that for addicts often public infrastructure doesn’t give you a lot of options for getting rid of butts. Seems like biodegradable butts should be mandatory. On the other hand I will lean into my horn if I see someone throwing butts out of their car. That is inexcusable - get an ashtray for your vehicle.
I mean, who cares? It’s the smokers’ problem? If you can’t dispose of your trash take it with you or stop producing it until you can. That’s true for any trash.
We expect people to carry doggie bags, too. Just clean up after yourself.
I realize that’s idealistic and it’s never going to happen because smokers be littering, but it makes me mad regardless.
doggy bags to take my food to go, or doggie bags to take the poo to go?