These careless acts of litter and waste are not only unpleasant to our eyes, but will also be unpleasant to the eyes of future generations if left to break down on their own. You might think that small pieces of trash, such as cigarette or cigar butts, would not take long to break down. During the time it takes a butt to break down, it poses other hazards to our environment and to the wildlife around us. Birds, fish and other wildlife often mistake these butts for food, and eat them. Once eaten, their bodies cannot digest them, so they die.
Filters are another hazardous factor with cigarette butts.
Although they are meant to filter out, or absorb, hazardous compounds from cigarette smoke, these compounds are trapped in the butt and when an animal eats it, they have then ingested toxic chemicals such as arsenic and lead, into their bodies. Similar to the hazards of cigarette butts, the plastic six pack holders which come with our soda or beer cans also jeopardize the lives of animals around us. Birds and other small animals sometimes try to eat these holders and either cannot digest what they've eaten, or get trapped within the plastic and die. Leaving these plastic holders around may not seem like a big deal, but considering that they can last 100 years or more and have the potential to kill, it is a big deal to that animal. Even the iced tea bottle that was forgotten on the bank could impact our environment for generations to come.