The Hold On To Your Butt program launched in 2022 in Delaware to reduce the amount of cigarette waste on our beaches and in our waterways. The project is led by the Delaware Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation in partnership with Plastic Free Delaware and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
Cigarette butts are the top item collected during Delaware beach and coastal cleanups.
Help us remove cigarette butts from our beaches Use cigarette butt collection canisters at state park beaches Use a pocket ashtray or similar item to hold your butts until you can dispose of them correctly.
Many people believe the butts are made from natural materials that will break down naturally in the environment. When in fact the butt of a cigarette is made of plastic material – cellulose acetate. When not discarded properly the butts get washed into the ocean where they break down into microparticles and are consumed by the shellfish and fish we eat as well as pollute the water with toxic microplastics and the toxins collected from smoking the cigarette.
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Delaware code allows plastic six pack rings if they are “photodegradable, biodegradable or recyclable”. But, these rings are not recyclable. And photodegradable and biodegradable are not defined or certified, AND take YEARS to happen, all the while being dangerous to the health and life of animals, and becoming contributors of microplastics in our food chain! Maine and Canada have already banned plastic six pack rings. Truly recyclable or compostable alternatives already exist & are being used widely. SB263 would ban the use of plastic rings and wraps to hold beverage multipacks together.