Final event in Düsseldorf's action week scheduled for Friday
In the heart of Düsseldorf, the RhineCleanUp team is gearing up for an important event – Cigarette Butt Week. This week-long campaign, taking place from May 23rd to May 23rd, aims to raise awareness about the environmental impact of cigarette litter and encourage responsible disposal practices.
Globally, an astonishing 5.6 trillion cigarettes are smoked each year, with 106 billion finding their way onto German streets. In Düsseldorf alone, around 1.5 million butts are littered every day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These discarded butts, often carelessly thrown on the ground, can lead to significant environmental harm.
Cigarette butts are the most common type of litter found in nature and cities. The plastic cellulose acetate filters, which can take hundreds of years to decompose, contain toxins that are washed out by rain or end up in streams, eventually finding their way into groundwater. Scientists estimate that one cigarette butt can contaminate up to 40 liters of groundwater.
To combat this issue, the RhineCleanUp team has organised Cigarette Butt Week. During this week, everyone is invited to participate, collect cigarette butts, and bring them to the RhineCleanUp stand located at Schadowstraße (next to P&C) between 13 and 14 on Friday, May 23rd.
In addition to the main collection event, there are other ways to contribute. By hanging "Butt Ghosts" at places where many butts are often found, one can collect cigarette remnants and contribute to the Cigarette Butt Week collection. The Blockblocks Rhein Cleanup team is also offering a supplementary action to remove cigarette butts during this week.
The RhineCleanUp team considers the carelessness and irresponsibility of many smokers a scandal. Joachim Umbach, a member of the RhineCleanUp team, urges smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly.
For organisational support during Cigarette Butt Week, one can contact RhineCleanUp via email at [email protected] or by phone at 0174 / 267 8636 between 9 and 14. Participating in Cigarette Butt Week not only helps keep Düsseldorf clean, but it also sets an example for a clean city.
For those interested in creating their own "Butt Ghosts", a DIY guide is available online. This makeshift ashtray can be made from empty Tetra Paks or milk cartons. The guide can be found at this link: https://www.rhinecleanup.org/kippengeist
While the effectiveness of Cigarette Butt Week cannot be fully assessed without specific data, awareness campaigns like this are crucial in combating the widespread problem of cigarette butt litter. By participating in events like these and adopting responsible disposal practices, we can help protect our environment and ensure a cleaner, healthier future for all.
- The plastic cellulose acetate filters in cigarette butts, often littered irresponsibly, can lead to environmental harm as they take hundreds of years to decompose and contain toxins that can contaminate groundwater, according to scientists.
- To counteract this issue, those interested in environmental-science and sustainable-living can participate in Cigarette Butt Week, organized by the RhineCleanUp team, by collecting cigarette butts and bringing them to the designated drop-off location or making a DIY "Butt Ghost" ashtray, which can be found online.
- Encouraging responsible lifestyle choices, such as properly disposing of cigarette butts at home-and-garden waste bins or using DIY ashtrays, is vital in preventing climate-change caused by cigarette litter, as awareness campaigns like Cigarette Butt Week play a crucial role in combating this widespread problem.
