NOTHING "BUTT" THE FACTS:

• 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered in our parks, sidewalks and public places yearly, according to Keep America Beautiful. Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the United States.
• Most cigarette filters arenot biodegradableas many people presume. 95 percent of filters are made of plastic cellulose acetate and take approximately 12-15 years to decompose.
• Cigarette filters are designed to absorb some of the tar and chemicals found in cigarettes such as cadmium, lead and arsenic, however once the filter enters the marine environment these toxic chemicals are leached out into the water.  Cigarette ends can be mistaken for food and ingested by marine animals.  They have been found in the guts of whales, dolphins, sea birds and turtles.  
• There are 165 chemicals in cigarettesthat birds and other small animals ingest thinking that the butts are food. Ingestion can lead to starvation or malnutrition if the butts block the intestinal tract and prevent digestion, or accumulate in the digestive tract, making the animal feel full and lessening its desire to feed.
• Here are some of the chemicals that discarded cigarette butts leach into our environment and what these chemicals are used in: Formaladyde (embalming fluid), Ammonia (toilet cleaning products), Benzene (petrol additive) and don't forget Nicotinewhich is commonly found in insecticides.