Smith EVS 300 - The Planet is not our Ashtray

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The Planet is not our AshtrayMegan QuirkAbstractMethodologyResultsThe Planet is not our AshtrayMegan QuirkMay 5th, 2004EVS 300Smith CollegeAbstractThey are small. Tossing one away does not seem like a big deal; yet they start to build up,complaints begin, and finally people start to wonder about the possible environmental effects. Cityofficials recognize that cigarette litter is a detriment to communities based on clean-up costs,clogged sewage systems, degraded water quality, and risk of fire danger. What, then, is the attitudetowards this problem at Smith College, from the perspective of student smokers, grounds keepers,and the administration? To address this question, I examined six main aspects in my project. Myinvestigation began with background research on the extensiveness of cigarette litter around theglobe, effects of cigarette waste on the environment, and national movements dealing with thisissue. To examine the problem locally, I began to randomly sample butt waste at personally chosenhigh density sites. Next, questionnaires were distributed to randomly picked student smokers, withshort interviews conducted about their cigarette disposal habits and ways in which negativediscarding habits could be influenced. Along with these, time was spent observing behavior ofsmokers when discarding cigarettes in areas with clearly marked disposal units. Several interviewswere also conducted with the director and supervisor at Physical Plant with regards to the college’spolicy on cigarette disposal, clean-up, and any current plans for the future. Through Smith’swebsite for the College Council on Community Policy, it was also helpful to examine past collegeactions around the smoking issue. Based on my research, observations and dialogues, a cleardemand exists for more disposal units to be situated strategically around campus. Furthermore, themajority of people expressed that while having awareness about the issue is beneficial it will not beguilt about the environment, as much as convenience of ashtrays, which motivates people to changetheir behavior.IntroductionNot many people think much of it when carelessly throwing one small cigarette butt on theground. Multiply this by the 48 million adults in America who smoke by the number of cigarettebreaks a day. Then, combine these figures with polices such as the increasingly common indoorsmoking bans. Thus, cigarette butts emerge as ubiquitous forms of trash. In fact, a study done bythe U.S. government in 1998 showed that Americans smoked 470 billion cigarettes in one year,leaving an estimated 176 million pounds of cigarette butts behind (Arizona Republic, 2002). Whilemany people have the mistaken belief that cigarettes are made of cotton and so are biodegradable,most cigarette filters are actually composed of cellulose acetate. This is a form of plastic thatpersists in the environment for anywhere from 18 months to 10 years (Novotny, 1999). But even ifcigarette filters degraded rapidly, they are hazardous in that lit cigarette butts initiate fires, and theharmful toxins in them can harm infants and animals. The National Capital Poison Center foundthat the ingestion of more than three cigarette butts can lead to serious health symptoms in a child(Novotny, 1999). A second study of the toxicity of cigarette butts established that just one butt intwo gallons of water is deadly to water fleas, which are crucial links in the aquatic food chain(Register, 2000). I believe that when most people become empowered by awareness and provided with aconvenient solution to a hazardous behavior, they would be inclined change their routine. Emphasismust be placed on the purpose of this project, which is not focused on the harms of smoking itself,but rather on the optimal solutions for dealing with waste from a common habit. It is commonknowledge that littering is wrong, yet cigarette-butts are not often viewed in the same way. Perhapsbecause they are so much more visible, people tend to not absent mindedly pollute collegecampuses with coke bottles. Neither soda nor cigarette manufacturers have control over the finaldisposal place of their products. As beverage manufacturers invest in litter prevention campaignshowever, the tobacco industry should too. Various suggestions include anti-litter messages onpackaging and advertisements, the distribution of small portable ashtrays, the placement andmaintenance of outdoor receptacles (Novotny, 1999). While this is valuable information for futuremovements, the best place for me to start was the attitudes and behaviors of my local community,Smith College. Evidence indicates that more cigarette butts are accumulating outside of buildings due to thepopularity of indoor smoking bans (Register, 2000). Smith follows this trend with a policy shifttowards cigarette smoking: as of August 2002 a total ban was implemented on smoking in allstudent residences. There is no smoking allowed within 20 feet of any academic, administrative, orresidential building, and to promote these policies, ashtrays were removed from directly outside ofbuildings. In addition, the Northampton City Regulations prohibit smoking in all “public places”and “work places,” which means that regardless of whether student dorm rooms are considered tobe “private residences” for purposes of the City Regulations, common areas of the residence halls(including living rooms, hallways, dining rooms, stairways, and restrooms) fall within the definitionof public and/or work places (CCCP, 2001). This research, in addition to personal observations ofcigarette butt waste, the disappearance of trash cans with attached ashtrays, and confusion over thebenefits & success of the 20 foot rule, was the basis for an investigation of this. The researchquestions were: what had happened to the trash cans on campus, what was being done to replace themissing cigarette containers, how effective is the 20 foot rule, what are some campus attitudes andknowledge in the area of this problem, and finally what could then be done to alleviate thisproblem?MethodologyThe main aspects to my project were gathering of background information, randomsampling, surveys, behavioral observations, interviews with college employees, and research onrecent college


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