Cigarette Butts

[malcolmk14]

There was a brief discussion about this in the gear grinding thread but I feel a topic of this magnitude truly deserves its own thread.

Lately I've been finding that people tossing cigarette butts on the ground around me or out of their car windows really pisses me off. As an otherwise rational person, it pisses me off a lot more than it should; I want to grab these people and shake them and ask, "do you know how disgusting that is?"

I just can't remain silent about this issue any longer. When it comes down to it, I have a few things in mind that I can do to try and vent my frustration and anger regarding tossing cigarette butts. Any other suggestions or support for any of the following is much appreciated.

1) Just keep my mouth shut and carry on, people are always going to do things I find annoying or disgusting and there's nothing I can do about it.

2) Approach cigarette butt tossers and kindly tell them that I saw them throw their butt on the ground; ask politely if they would mind going back and picking it up and throwing it in a trash bin. The problem with this one is I can't imagine the type of person who throws their cigarette butt on the ground will be very receptive to a stranger asking them to pick it up.

3) I had this other idea which involved starting a blog or purchasing a domain name, taking pictures of the people who I approached and refused to pick up their butt, and posting their pictures to the blog. It would involve significantly more of my time and effort but right now I feel like it would be a healthy way for me to take out my anger on these deplorable people. I am not aware of any legal ramifications of taking people's pictures in public and posting them to a litter blog, but I can't imagine that there would be any.

As you can tell, this really bothers me. How do other people deal with things like this that they see multiple times a day? What should I do? It is driving me nuts!

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

I want to grab these people and shake them and ask, "do you know how disgusting that is?"

Never mind how dangerous it is to toss litter that is on fire. That's what gets me.

[bc-chris]

i remember driving down hwy 97 in kelowna in august of 2003

the sky is a total haze thanks to the okanagan mountain park forest fire, ash still falling from the sky and these losers in front of me toss butts out of both the driver's and passenger's windows onto the bark mulch center meridian (driver) and the bone dry grass on the side of the highway (passenger).

it took every ounce of restraint to not re-end those idiots

[Gozer]

I was walking behind a guy in Fish Creek a week ago - who throws his lit butt into the grass as he's walking.
I stood there checking to see if a fire was starting and considering if I should catch up to the guy and blow my stack. I didn't, I just stood there until the impotent rage subsided -for the same reason as the OP - there was no way the guy would apologize and go pick it up. But my gears were grinding.
A gigantic grass field. In a national park. At midday of the hottest day of the year.

[metallicat]

Littering in general drives me ape. Someone tossed a Horton's cup out his window behin me today as if it was no big deal. He/she (it was not exactly obvious) was also smoking, and the butt was inevitably going out the window next. I don't get why people do it

[ricosuave]

I wouldnt care if smokers smoked and killed themselves doing it if:

- they could invent a smellless, smokeless tobacco
- they didn't litter the butts everywhere

and of course, you confront them about their disgusting habit and actions, and that's when the nicotine goes into full damage control mode, overriding common sense and logic.

[albertGQ]

I vote for #3. Let everyone know who these disgusting pigs are

[Ron Duguay's Hair]

As a smoker who constantly does this I can say you would likely be risking a punch in the brain by approaching someone who litters their butts. Not me, of course, as I realize how ridiculous not only smoking is but the way in which I dispose of my empties. All I can say is that we are stupid, and you can't cure stupid.

[ResAlien]

I feel your plight malcoklm. I recognize that I'm a horrible human being. I throw my butts on the ground all the time and don't give a fata. I should really re-evaluate my life. Wait, no, I've thought about it again and I could give a crap less if you non smokers cry about me throwing a butt on the ground. Damn, I've changed my mind. I just hope I don't get brainpunched. If it bugs you that much pick em up.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

i remember driving down hwy 97 in kelowna in august of 2003

the sky is a total haze thanks to the okanagan mountain park forest fire, ash still falling from the sky and these losers in front of me toss butts out of both the driver's and passenger's windows onto the bark mulch center meridian (driver) and the bone dry grass on the side of the highway (passenger).

it took every ounce of restraint to not re-end those idiots

HA! I was there then too and a family friend almost hauled a guy out of his truck while we were stuck there waiting to be let through.

The guy was out of his truck smoking while we were stopped waiting, flicked his butt into the ditch and went back inside and my family friend just flew into a rage.

While I dont necessarily condone vigilante justice, a guy tossing his burning cigarette butt into the dry grass of the ditch while we're waiting for a highway to open because of forest fires....I think my family friend had a very good point and I think he made it in a convincing fashion.

[holden]

I vow to stop smoking when all the passive aggressives hell bent on stamping out smokers stop driving SUV's.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

I used to be one of those inconsiderate idiots. I didn't do it during a dry spell and on dry grass like the above idiots, but that doesn't excuse me at all. I would throw the butts wherever and whenever I couldn't find an ash tray.

There's not much more I can say. I can't justify why I did it. I was lazy, it was easy, I don't know. Bottom line was that I was inconsiderate and there's no other words that would describe it. I didn't care when I did it, and it's not like I feel bad about it now since I quit, but if I could go back in time and get in the habit of making sure I disposed the butts properly, I would definitely try.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

I feel your plight malcoklm. I recognize that I'm a horrible human being. I throw my butts on the ground all the time and don't give a fata. I should really re-evaluate my life. Wait, no, I've thought about it again and I could give a crap less if you non smokers cry about me throwing a butt on the ground. Damn, I've changed my mind. I just hope I don't get brainpunched. If it bugs you that much pick em up.

Or stop constantly throwing garbage on the ground and thinking it's ok to do?

I don't toss my garbage anywhere I see fit, why do you get a free pass?

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Ron Duguay's Hair

As a smoker who constantly does this I can say you would likely be risking a punch in the brain by approaching someone who litters their butts. Not me, of course, as I realize how ridiculous not only smoking is but the way in which I dispose of my empties. All I can say is that we are stupid, and you can't cure stupid.

I read your posts in Ron Swanson's voice.

[MelBridgeman]

Sorry but there are more important things in life.
christ

[Flames89]

I despise litterers, even tell them "are you just going to leave that there?" or "you dropped your wrapper back there", even from my car window.
HOWEVER, I toss my butts widely and freely without conscience (barring forest fire conditions). It is not rational. "Can't cure stupid"

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Gozer

I was walking behind a guy in Fish Creek a week ago - who throws his lit butt into the grass as he's walking.
I stood there checking to see if a fire was starting and considering if I should catch up to the guy and blow my stack. I didn't, I just stood there until the impotent rage subsided -for the same reason as the OP - there was no way the guy would apologize and go pick it up. But my gears were grinding.
A gigantic grass field. In a national park. At midday of the hottest day of the year.

Isn't fish creek a provincial park?

[SeeBass]

Ok for the guys who do throw their smokes out the car window I just have to ask why?

I would assume that you throw nothing else out your window.

I guess it is easier than using an ashtray or a glass bottle. Is that the issue?

Is it because then you are able to see the volume you smoke?

Serious question

[WilsonFourTwo]

Littering is gross, and littering something that is on fire is gross and stupid.

Even when I smoked (don't do it folks, not worth it) I always used an ashtray or garbage if one was available. I regularly packed around (stinky, very stinky) butts until I could find a garbage. Worst case scenario, I'd at least have enough common sense to put out the flame before flicking it to the curb.

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Sorry but there are more important things in life.
christ

Yes there are

Is there a new rule on Calgary Puck that says top ten issues only?