Search icon

News

12th Sep 2018

New study shows that cigarette butts are the biggest source of ocean waste

Rudi Kinsella

whale plastic

Bin them the right way.

When you think about ocean pollution, you probably think about those plastic containers that six-packs of beers come in.

Just last week we reported that certain beers are getting a brand new design so that these traditional plastic rings aren’t needed anymore.

Carlsberg have said that the new ‘snap-pack’ packaging will reduce plastic waste globally by more than 1,200 tonnes a year — that’s the equivalent of 60 million plastic bags.

And they’re not even the worst offenders of ocean pollution!

A new study show from Business Insider that cigarette butts are actually the main source of ocean waste.

According to data collected by Ocean Conservancy, approximately 60 million cigarette filters have been collected since the 1980s — which massively exceeds the number of plastic bags, food wrappers, drinks bottles or straws cleaned up from our oceans.

This can come from beach-goers disposing of their cigarette butts directly on the beach, but more often it is the case that the filters are being carried by rain into rivers, and ultimately ending up in the sea.

Recent videos have emerged of some severe damage that has been done as a result of ocean pollution.

Clip via oceanpollutionpatch

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Conor Sketches | Tiger Woods loves Ger Loughnane and cosplaying as Charles LeClerc 

Topics:

ocean,Pollution