Stop cigarettes from ending up in the ocean by putting your butts where they belong
>> Kathyrn Juricic
You may have noticed a small canister for cigarette butts outside the Cornerstone Café. This canister is one of many the Surfrider Foundation has set-up throughout Victoria to deter cigarette butts making their way into sewers and then ending up on beaches and in the ocean.
The Surfrider Foundation, an international organization that operates in many cities, is a coastal conservation non-profit organization made up of over 200,000 members aiming to “protect and enjoy oceans, waves and beaches.”
It’s easy to notice cigarette butts during Surfrider’s monthly beach cleanups, as they are consistently the number one item collected. Gillian Montgomery, Chairperson of the Vancouver Island chapter, decided to take this matter into her own hands by setting up a “Hold On To Your Butt” (HOTYB) campaign in Victoria after a successful launch by Surfrider chapters in Huntington Beach and San Diego.
Cigarette butts pose a serious threat to our environment and communities. Toxins are released when wet, they take up to 25 years to decompose, and require a lot of time, energy and resources to clean up.
Montgomery began HOTYB by putting one canister outside Coastline in downtown Victoria in July 2014. Shortly after, the City of Victoria and the Downtown Victoria Business Association each bought 10 canisters.
Surfrider also operates a little closer to home as many of their volunteers live in Fernwood. The first annual neighbourhood cleanup in Fernwood was in September of 2013, to save the cigarette butts on the streets from entering the sewers and ending up on beaches and in the ocean. A huge success, this cleanup collected more that 3,000 cigarette butts within one hour!
For the well-being of our natural ecosystems, it is imperative to keep cigarette butts and other toxic waste off the ground. A cigarette butt thrown on the street is a serious threat to marine environments. By reforming communities through their HOTYB canisters, Surfrider aims to build general awareness that will carry into the habits of everyday smokers.
The Surfrider Foundation hosts monthly coastal cleanups on the second Sunday every month. If you’re interested in learning more or getting a canister for your business or neighbourhood, visit them at vancouverisland.surfrider.org or facebook.com/surfridervi.
