04 • 12 • 2023
Reduce Cigarette Butt Litter in Encinitas
Victory! The San Diego County Chapter supported a proposed Encinitas ordinance to restrict smoking in public spaces, in order to reduce pollution from toxic single-use plastic cigarette filters, i.e. butts. The City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on April 12, 2023.
Cigarette butts are the #1 most littered item in the world. Even though only 9% of Californians smoke, butts consistently account for 20-30% of the total items found at Surfrider San Diego's public beach cleanups each year. Far from benign in our environment, butts are made from non-biodegradable plastic. They're also filled with toxic chemicals, many of them known carcinogens, by the time the attached cigarette has been smoked. In order to mitigate the disproportionate amount of harm that cigarette butts do to our marine environment, the City of Encinitas strengthened CA state smoking laws - which mainly focus on protecting others from secondhand smoke - and banned smoking in all public spaces. Smoking would still be allowed on private property and in moving vehicles. For more information on the ordinance, please visit the City of Encinitas website HERE.