San Rafael Clean is initiating a program to reduce and eventually eliminate cigarette litter.  By working with other organizations and businesses, we will raise awareness of the alarming pollution hazards associated with cigarette litter and provide simple solutions.

Facts about cigarette litter:
·  Cigarette litter is a worldwide environmental litter problem.
·  Cigarettes are the number one item picked up on Coastal Cleanup day.  The 2004 Cleanup Data Report sites 1,292,154 cigarettes and/or filters were picked up on one day.
·  An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year.
·  Cigarette smoke contains up to 4,000 chemicals.
·  Cigarette butts take, on average, 1.5 years to break down.

STICK YOUR BUTTSOUT
FOR SAN RAFAEL!

Make a Difference Day in San Rafael  
San Rafael -- Make a Difference Day is “a national day of doing good.”  San Rafael Clean and the Marin Conservation Corps are sponsoring a cigarette litter Walk and Talk on October 26 in observance of Make a Difference Day. They will hand out pocket ashtrays, install public receptacles and count the amount of cigarette butt litter on streets, sidewalks and in planted areas in downtown San Rafael. 
Seeing as there are over 176,000,000 pounds of discarded butts in the United States each year; cigarette butt litter accounts for one in every five items collected on cleanups, making it the most prevalent form of litter ON EARTH, and 80% of butts littered on streets and sidewalks find their way into our water systems causing harm to fish, wildlife and drinking water, San Rafael Clean believes it is time to stop cigarette litter. Keep America Beautiful gave a $2500 grant as well as 1,000 pocket ashtrays to the cause, and CalTrans donated 100 automobile ashtrays, which will be handed out to smokers to encourage them to do the right thing with their cigarette waste. AmeriCorps members through Marin Conservation Corps will lead the charge to get people to kick the butt-litter habit.
Sites of interest: marincc.org, the Marin Conservation Corps; www.kab.org, Keep America Beautiful; www.usaweekend.com/diffday/, Make a Difference Day.

The impact of cigarette butts on marine life
Many people don’t realize that when it rains, water flowing through our streets, down our drains and through our storm water pipes ends up in our harbors, beaches and rivers. Stormwater is not treated so all litter and cigarette butts carried by storm water are dumped directly into these waterways. In fact, 95% of the litter on beaches comes from suburban streets through the storm water system. This litter reduces water quality and potentially harms our precious marine life. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in freshwater and up to 5 years to break down in seawater. Birds and aquatic animals can mistake the butts as food, resulting in serious digestive problems that may lead to death. Butts have been found in the stomachs of young birds, sea turtles and other marine creatures. Another serious concern is that toxic chemicals such as lead and cadmium, which are trapped in the cigarette filter, can leach out in water. Within just one hour of contact with water, the chemicals begin to leach into the aquatic environment and threaten the well being of marine life.
In order to promote safe, environmentally friendly disposal of cigarette butts, San Rafael Clean is distributing pocket ashtrays.  The ashtrays are manufactured by BUTTsOUT.net and funded by private donations made to San Rafael Clean.

About the BUTTsOUT Personal Ashtrays
Fire Resistant - made from heat retardant ABS material
Reusable & durable - lasting up to 12 months
Fun and funky – smokers use them
Easy to use - Single hand operation
Traps in most smell and smoke. Fits easily into the palm of the hand - 70mm high, 40mm wide and 15mm deep. Have a clip on the back to allow you to attach to your belt, bag, ski suit, or clothing. Never be fined again for dropping a butt.Help keep our beaches, marina, waterways, parks, streets and sidewalks clean
ButtsOut ashtrays are available on a donation basis by calling 485-3407 a
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SOURCES:
International Coastal Cleanup  http://www.coastalcleanup.org 
ButtsOut, Integrated Litter Solutions  http://www.buttsout.net
Cigarette Litter Org  http://www.cigarettelitter.org
EcoRecycle   http://www.ecorecycle.sustainability.vic.gov.au/
 

Contact Information: Cory Bytof; 415.485.3407/3436; Email: Cory.Bytof