REPORT: Experts say plastic straws aren’t largest human-caused pollutant. Here’s what is.

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July 21, 2019

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As the most reliable and balanced news aggregation service on the internet, DML News App offers the following information published by CBSNEWS.COM:

The plastic straw has been at the forefront of conversations about damaging man-made waste but cigarette butts have turned out to be an even bigger problem. An estimated 4.5 trillion butts are littered globally each year, The BBC reports, and their effects are incredibly harmful.

The article goes on to state the following:

Researchers found that this waste cuts down the germination success of grass by 10 percent and shortens the shoot length of clover by up to 28 percent. Most cigarette butts contain a filter made of cellulose acetate fibre — a type of a bioplastic which is not biodegradable — and can cause the same damage to plant growth as un-smoked cigarettes.

The earth’s oceans are also affected by cigarette butts. According to The Conversation, they comprise 30 to 40 percent of litter found in coastal clean-ups since the 80s. Cigarette filters are accumulating at the bottom of the deep sea and may take years to breakdown in the environment, CBS reports.

“Rayon is not a plastic, but we include it in our results, because it is a man-made semi-synthetic material and widely reported as present in the marine environment. It is used in cigarette filters, personal hygiene products and clothing, and is introduced to the marine environment through sewage, including from the washing of clothes. It has been reported in fish (57.8% of synthetic particles ingested) and in ice cores (54%), in similar proportions to those reported here,” stated a 2014 research article, titled, “The deep sea is a major sink for microplastic debris.”

In 2017 volunteers cleaned up 2.4 Million cigarette butts. Now think about the majority that were missed. https://t.co/8ewpi50tsR

— Steve Westly (@SteveWestly) July 17, 2019

Experts say cigarette butts — not plastic straws — are largest human-caused pollutant https://t.co/aPFM7E2Anl pic.twitter.com/smKsjyQRs5

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 21, 2019