When we walk through the streets of our cities, but also on the beach, in parks and in the woods, we happen to come across waste that takes a long time to decompose. Waste abandoned by people who don’t care about the health of the planet.
Among these there are also cigarette butts, which can represent significant environmental damage. How long does it take for a cigarette left on the ground or in nature to decompose? A long, long time.
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The dangers of waste in the environment
Every waste we throw into the environment needs a certain amount of time to degrade. That is, to disappear completely without people intervening to speed up the process.
By knowing how many months it takes for a cigarette butt to lose all traces of itself in the environment in which it was abandoned, you will be able to calculate how much smokers who do not use the appropriate containers are polluting the Earth. Putting at risk every living being that inhabits it, including humanity.
Cigarettes are not only harmful to the health of the people who inhale the smoke and of those around them, due to passive smoking.
Cigarette butts can cause significant damage to the environment in which they are left. The timing depends on the type of cigarette you smoke. In fact, if it has a filter, it is more harmful to the planet.
How long does it take for a cigarette to decompose?
A cigarette butt without a filter takes 6 to 12 months to degrade. It is made of cellulose (paper) and tobacco plant fibres, therefore highly biodegradable. Obviously, weather conditions greatly influence the timing.
If, however, the cigarette has a filter, like most blondes that are lit, the time is longer. This is because the filters are made of very resistant materials. It is estimated that it can take 5 to 12 years to completely destroy this part of the cigarette. Which in the meantime the animals can swallow, ending up dying.
