Litter Butts
I had forgotten about one of the many new laws that takes effect in our great state of Illinois as of January 1, 2014. An article in EIU's Daily Eastern News (go Panthers!) yesterday reminded me.....
Beyond that, flicking cigarettes from cars is an incredible act of narcissism. Smokers don’t want to spring for a cigarette butt receptacle in their cars or have traces of tobacco smoke from a squished butt wafting through their driving chamber.
No, these drivers find that it is best to flick the butt (or butts) out the window so someone else can deal with the unsightly mess.
This is a sore spot for me because my yard has been collecting a regular supply. I do not live along a major thoroughfare, so it appears that someone who lives nearby flicks a butt into my lawn perhaps several days a week.
The culprit probably would insist they're harmless, which would raise the question of why he — or she — doesn't wait an extra minute and use them to fertilize the yard at home.
I'm a non-smoker, and plucking dead cigarettes from my grass conjures up a fantasy of identifying the culprit and mailing back a package full of them. It will never really happen. But something better may.
Oh, I love that "mailing back a package full of them" idea! Of course, in order to collect that shipment, I'd have to touch a bunch of butts. And that just sounds nasty. (at least not without a couple latex gloves)
It is hard to imagine that police officers or state troopers will place this at the top of their list of driving offenses — especially when you consider that more immediate dangers are associated with those who drive too fast or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
But knowing that Illinois will at least make it possible to hold this brand of litterbug accountable is a pretty good start.
Matt
(EIU) Facilities Planning and Management workers will be placing more receptacles throughout the campus to prepare for upcoming law in January, which will penalize those who litter cigarettes.
Those who are caught littering will be convicted with a class B misdemeanor with a fine, which will not exceed $1,500. If convicted a second time, it will be considered a class A misdemeanor.
The third conviction and any other convictions following may result in a class 4 felony, with a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment of no less than one year and no more than three years.
First off, I am glad to see that our dysfunctional gang of Springfield legislators (and governor) got together on this issue and agreed that cigarette butts are litter. There is no difference between throwing a pop can on the ground vs. a straw wrapper vs. a used napkin vs. a cigarette butt.
For too long, smokers have gotten by with a "free pass".... allowed to toss their butts out car windows or empty their ashtrays in parking lots with no repercussions.
Although I really hate to see people smoking, as each cigarette takes a few minutes off of the end of their life, I don't care if folks do it. After all, this is a free country.
If you choose to drink booze, drink booze. Just be responsible and stay out from behind the wheel if you've been drinking.
If you choose to golf, golf. Just be responsible and be sure to replace your divots.
If you choose to smoke, smoke. Just be responsible and get your butts into an ashtray or receptacle.
This business about throwing them on the ground for others to see and deal with is nasty. And it IS litter. (also one of my big pet peeves by the way, as I wrote in a previous blog post.)
I picked up a little more interesting bits of insight/information from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch....
According to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, cigarette butts are
the most commonly discarded item globally. Environmental and public
health groups decry the scattering of those nonbiodegradable filters.Beyond that, flicking cigarettes from cars is an incredible act of narcissism. Smokers don’t want to spring for a cigarette butt receptacle in their cars or have traces of tobacco smoke from a squished butt wafting through their driving chamber.
No, these drivers find that it is best to flick the butt (or butts) out the window so someone else can deal with the unsightly mess.
And from the Post-Dispatch's columnist Pat Gauen....
Perhaps you aren't familiar with the concept of a car ashtray.
They're optional these days. But every car has windows, and butts still
need to be discarded.This is a sore spot for me because my yard has been collecting a regular supply. I do not live along a major thoroughfare, so it appears that someone who lives nearby flicks a butt into my lawn perhaps several days a week.
The culprit probably would insist they're harmless, which would raise the question of why he — or she — doesn't wait an extra minute and use them to fertilize the yard at home.
I'm a non-smoker, and plucking dead cigarettes from my grass conjures up a fantasy of identifying the culprit and mailing back a package full of them. It will never really happen. But something better may.
Oh, I love that "mailing back a package full of them" idea! Of course, in order to collect that shipment, I'd have to touch a bunch of butts. And that just sounds nasty. (at least not without a couple latex gloves)
I know a lot of really kind, compassionate, loving cigarette smokers. This isn't an anti-smoking rant at all. It's an anti-littering rant. And honestly, I think the vast majority of smokers really do try to discard of their butts in an appropriate manner. But, there are plenty who don't, and it's way past time to keep turning a cheek to say that throwing your butt in a yard or onto a road isn't littering.
In closing... a few more comments from the Post-Dispatch....
The new law continues a trend away from the years when smokers held
strong political sway and school was the only indoor space where this
kid could depend on a breath of fresh air.It is hard to imagine that police officers or state troopers will place this at the top of their list of driving offenses — especially when you consider that more immediate dangers are associated with those who drive too fast or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
But knowing that Illinois will at least make it possible to hold this brand of litterbug accountable is a pretty good start.
Out for now....
Matt
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| USE THEM, FOLKS !! |
