When did it become OK to litter cigarette butts?

Question:

Littering has become such a politically incorrect thing to do but when someone's done with a cigarette it just goes on the ground. I very rarely see anyone dispose of a cigarette properly outside. Where does this disconnect in behavior come from?

Answers:
I wonder this myself. Ive noticed people just toss a cigarette without a second thought but scold someone for dropping a wrapper on the ground. Cigarettes are horrible for the environment and take years to decompose. Smokers need to be more conscientious about what they are doing, its bad enough they don't take nonsmokers into consideration... My brother puts the butts in his pocket and throws them away when he is near a trashcan...kinda smelly but at least he takes responsibility for it.

really it was never okay, but people still do it.

NEVER. It's the same as littering.

The days (you won't have been around long enough or be able to appreciate) when we had a little freedom.

I think it is incredibly rude and disgusting. I find my tenant's butt in the flower boxes all of the time and it aggravates me to no end. So I scoop them out and pile them up on their door step to remind them that flower boxes are not ashtrays.

It comes from your butt, much like your diarrhic sobbing.

We live in a society where littering is endemic! Few people have any civic pride anymore. Cigarette butts are just one little part of a big, big problem.

Because health nuts like you had all the ashtrays ripped out in about 99% all public areas! Cigarette ends aren't something you can exactly stuff in your pocket until an ashtray reveals itself you know. You want clean streets, get an old coffee can, fill it 2/3rds up with sand and leave it prominently where smokers go to take a smoke.

I say, give me an ashtray and I'd be more then happy to put it in there. I myself can't stand leaving a cigarette butt on the ground, I'll put it out then put it in the garbage, but if there were ashtrays around I am sure almost all smokers would use then instead of the ground.

I am very conscious about littering, but will admit that I don't usually consider cigarette butts to be litter. I guess I should rethink that. I will say however, that whenever there is an ashtray or butt receptacle present, I always use it.

I can only speak for myself but I never, ever leave cigarette butts laying around outside, not even on my own property, never mind someone elses or out in public. If there's nothing else available I put them in the plastic wrapper my pack of smokes came in until I can get to a trash can.

When did it become OK to litter cigarette butts?

Health Resources