Participate in the Hold On To Your Butts cleanup at Portland State University on April 19th, 10 am to noon.
Cigarette butts are one of the highest debris items being collected during our beach cleanups. Often littered on sidewalks and streets, they end up in our storm drains, flowing to our streams, rivers, bays, lagoons, and ultimately the ocean. This will be the Portland Chapter's first HOTYB (Hold On To Your Butts) event.
Goals for Surfrider’s “Hold On To Your Butt” campaign include: reduce cigarette litter; increase public awareness about the problem; advocate for better enforcement and implementation of littering/smoking laws; advocate tobacco companies improve the biodegradability of filters and reduce packaging waste; and educate consumers about the impacts of tobacco litter on the environment. While small in size, cigarette butts pose a large environmental problem. It’s estimated 4.5 trillion cig butts are littered each year worldwide. Cigarette filters trap chemicals and when submerged in water the chemicals leach into ecosystems, threatening the quality water and aquatic life. Wildlife can mistake cigarette butts as food. Many smokers incorrectly believe cigarette butts are made of biodegradable cotton. In fact, cigarette contains cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, which slowly breaks down, but never fully decomposes.
Contact volunteercoordinator@portland.surfrider.org for more information about this event.