el_richo

When smoking outside in a public area, once you've finished do you consider chucking your end onto the floor as littering or not?

I notice it more and more and I'm interested in the mentality.

For example, this afternoon a fella had a coffee and cig on the go. He finished his coffee and put the cup in the nearest bin. He actually went out of his way to do that. A minute or so later he finished his cig and flicked it onto the ground.

Is there a difference I'm not seeing?

I told him he'd dropped something and he grumbled at me until I told him he was ****ing disgusting and asked him to please put his litter in the bin. He did, so that was nice.

Dave n Ailsa

I'm an ex smoker. Smoked for 26 years, stopped nearly 4 years ago. No cheers please, I'm now on E-cigs (tell you about that later)

When I was smoking I would always flick my buts away when finished, but then what else was I supposed to do? Generally there's not a bin nearby and carrying about a dead fag is mingin, ever for a smoker, lol.

However, I do agree it is littering, something I feel very strongly about, which is a bit hypocritical of course. After all, if everyone juct flicks there fags away in the same place, it's the same as someone coming along with a pub ashtray and emptying it on the pavement, and casually walking away.

Cigarette filters are not quickly biodegradable, and generally end up on someone's shoe, ready to get walked through someones house

It's also pretty dangerous in warm dry countries to flick a burning fag away. (never had that problem in Glasgow)

E-Cigs are the way to go!

But that's a whole different subject which I'd be happy to champion

Jingsamichty

One effect more noticeable in Canada - or at least in northern Alberta where I am - is the huge disgusting piles of fag butts that are exposed once the snow melts.

There are special bins placed at the designated smoking areas but they must be very hard to use, because the entire area round about is about six inches deep in butts.

Oink

I thought the problem in BC was rather mitigated by the fact that most people save their 'fag ends' in the ash tray for when their dealer is out of town.

nldfc

I had been stopped for 9 months using the e-cig but started working offshore again a couple of weeks back and fell completely off the wagon

Usually try and find an ashtray, bin or discarded Tim Hortons cup to stick the butts in though

Atlantic Xpat

That desperate for people that you had to go offshore yourself?

mandymoochops

Theres always a bin or something around, when you've done, dock it out on the floor and then put it in the nearest bin.

if you smoke it's your responsibility to chuck it away safely, although with the amount if wildfires that are started in Alberta because of discarded cigarettes and my hubby constantly moaning about this i am super careful about them being out and in a safe place now. (Though granted a parking lot isn't normally going to start ablaze but you catch my drift).

Also why are he 'ashtrays' always attached to the side of a building entrance you're meant to be 10 metres away from

Third6

Haven't smoked for 8 or so months now but when I did I would always try and find a bin or ashtray to put my butt in.

What annoys me now is the smokers that smoke right in your face, that annoyed me even when I did smoke. i would always try and be a courteous smoker when I had non smoking people around me or when walking down the street. It's just pure ignorance.

Souvy

I have to agree with you. Dropping a fag butt is littering and potentially dangerous littering. I'm very careful about what I do with mine. In future, I'll have to be very careful about even smoking in Ottawa. It's now illegal on bar patios and any land owned by the city (parks etc).

Technically, I can't smoke inside my house (not that I do). It's my place of work.

Dave n Ailsa

.... or on your patio

leith

Yes, smokers seem to think that chucking cigarette butts all over the place is socially acceptable. Perhaps they believe that the nicotine-saturated remains will biodegrade very quickly and that they are, in fact, being environmentally friendly. I am sure you have seen great heaps of these little brown and white cylinders where such responsible recyclers have emptied the contents of their vehicle ashtrays in parking lots, on the sidewalk, or wherever they happen to be when the receptacle is overflowing.
Unfortunately, this behaviour is not confined to adult twits - it appears to start at a very young age. I have observed numerous teenagers drop their stubs in my front yard as they shuffle to school, bleary-eyed, hungover, and wheezing. Trying to explain that this does not produce very good compost was not a concept they readily grasped. However, after excavating my flower beds which resembled an archeaological midden, I took along to the local high school a large bag of cigarette butts, fast food containers, broken cell phones, and several pairs of discarded underwear. The principal appeared to be quite impressed but seemed to be mostly concerned with how the underwear got there. In my opinion, he did not have the appropriate attitude towards his miscreant students as the battle of the butts did not abate until I took matters and a powerful water cannon into my own hands. I think the local fire department was very appreciative of my efforts to ensure that none of the bits of cigarettes set my lawn alight and the police agreed that it was just too bad that some people got in the way while I was watering my garden. They did not ask why the water was purple and apparently did not notice that it smelled of cat pee.

Novocastrian

Well, I for one, appreciate your measured and balanced response.

Oink

You should hope that your immigration documents come through soonish so you can get to Canada and be rid of that inconsiderate and anti-social yobbish behaviour. You'll find the kids in Canada are much better behaved and more polite once you get here.

Auld Yin

Watch out Leith, the sarcasm mongers have been fed and watered and they're out looking for blood sport.

Novocastrian

The worrying thing is that I think the poster is in Alberta.