# People Who Empty Their Ashtrays In The Garbage **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 11, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726 "2004-03-11T16:59:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/21 "2004-03-11T18:51:29Z")
Wow! Your cites say not to throw lit cigarettes into trashcans! No shit! That’s what everyone has been saying. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/22 "2004-03-11T18:53:23Z")
Now, for the oranges… from a site explaining the differences between storm sewers and sanitary sewers… > [@](#): > > _from > [Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) Public Service Announcement](http://www.hwea.org/psa/psa02.htm)_ > > \*\*Keeping rubbish out of the sewer system > > Your toilet and sewer system are only designed to dispose of human wastes and toilet paper (which quickly breaks down). Unfortunately, people use the toilet as a wastebasket out of convenience. It is a huge “out of sight, out of mind” problem because people often don’t see the mess sewer overflows cause and the problems that sewer workers need to deal with! > > Almost any type of rubbish may restrict sewage flow, clog sewers, and cause sewage overflows. Keep the following from going down your toilet and sinks: > > ``` > * Paper (paper towels, facial tissue (Kleenex), paper napkins, wrappers, etc.). Only toilet tissue is okay! > > * Plastics (bags, wrappers, bottles, cotton-tip shafts), > > * Rubber (gloves, condoms, underclothes elastic, etc.), > > * Cloth and fibers (cotton balls, tampons, cigarette filters, stockings, rags, etc.). > > ``` > > Don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket!!\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/23 "2004-03-11T18:57:29Z")
Cheeks - clearly you’re not a smoker. Personally, I rarely empty the ashtray except when I’m about to start a cigarette. That means that the last cigarette has been out for at least a couple hours - ample time for it to be clearly out. Cigarettes do not spontaneously combust; it’s true that they can be lit without it being obvious, but a few minutes in an ashtray is plenty of time to confirm that your butts are out. Many of the links you spoke of referred to tossing LIT cigarettes into trash cans. This is a little different than emptying an ashtray into a trash can. Anyone who is stupid enough to toss a lit cigarette into the trash really deserves to be flogged publicly - but it doesn’t apply to your point about ashtrays. The time a cigarette spends cooling in an ashtray is certainly adequate to ensure that it’s no longer burning. Flushing foreign bodies down the toilet - now that’s a bad idea. Drains clog easily; chances are, if someone dumped an ashtray into their toilet every day or two for awhile, you’d start to experience plumbing problems in your own apartment. Not to mention the tremendous waste of fresh water. Flushing things like cigarettes is a rather bad idea when it comes to water treatment as well; they do not decay quickly enough to be treated away along with waste material, so they must be filtered, and that leaves large numbers of biohazardous cigarette butts to be dealt with. Cigarettes start a large number of fires, but emptying of ashtrays into trash cans is not the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/24 "2004-03-11T19:03:06Z")
> [@CheekyMonkey613](#): > > I’m glad you realized I wasn’t laughing out loud like a crazy woman. Bwaha! Well, someone is, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/25 "2004-03-11T19:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=CheekyMonkey613 You’re assuming the cigarette was smushed out properly and that it was emptied hours and days after it was smoked. [/quote] And you’re assuming that they aren’t. How does that make you any more right than me? > [@](#): > > If you think cigarette butts cause a problem down the drains, then I guess you’re plutzing about people who use clumping kitty litter and flush that too. I’d imagine that a big piece of shit causes more plumbing problems than a cigarette filter. Actually, I’m not plutzing about anything except a silly OP that gives ridiculous solutions to a largely non-existant problem. Your links cover situations where butts were directly tossed in the trash, and yet you specifically singled out ashtray emptiers. You can waffle on that now, but your OP speaks for itself. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/26 "2004-03-11T19:07:07Z")
Son of a bitch! I **hate** it when I fuck up my coding. Grrr. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/27 "2004-03-11T19:26:00Z")
Poor examples, Cheeky. If you’re dumb enough to pitch a _lit_ cigarette in the trash, you get what you deserve. The ashtray, however, is specifically designed to contain possibly smoldering butts until you are sure they are out and can discard them safely. You never empty an ashtray right after you butt a smoke. And you shouldn’t let your ashtray get too full between emptying. If you go to bars that allow smoking, you’ll notice that the bartender dumps an ashtray with no more than 2 or 3 butts into a specially designated coffee can or bucket, then at the end of the shift, when they are sure there is no chance of fire, into the trash bin. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/28 "2004-03-11T19:31:07Z")
I’ve never smoked, but I’m at a loss as to what else you would do with a full ashtray besides dump the contents in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/29 "2004-03-11T19:51:42Z")
> [@CheekyMonkey613](#): > > Sucks to be you. I guess you shit in a napkin and put it in the trash too? Hell no, you’ve got to be careful with that shit. It’s flammable you know! That said, from now on I guess I’ll just shit on your picture and burn it in my ash tray. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CheekyMonkey613](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@CheekyMonkey613](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheekyMonkey613)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/30 "2004-03-11T19:54:50Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Cheeks - clearly you’re not a smoker. Personally, I rarely empty the ashtray except when I’m about to start a cigarette. That means that the last cigarette has been out for at least a couple hours - ample time for it to be clearly out. Ahhhhhh but that’s where you’re wrong. I am a smoker, probably a heavier smoker than you because I can assure you that my ashtray doesn’t go several hours between lit cigarettes (apart from when I sleep!). Keep in mind, I’m not saying that ALL cigarettes in an ashtray are hazzardous. I’m talking about the few times when you THINK it’s safe, and it’s not. At many house parties I’ve been to, I’ve seen the hostess pick an ashtray off the taple, dump it into her kitchen catcher, and replace it on the table. _SO_ not cool. Just like campfires. You have them going good at 8pm. They burn out to embers by 11pm. You go to sleep in your comfy tent. How many times have I woken up in the morning and put on the wood for my breakfast, only to see it catch right away because the fire wasn’t out? And I THOUGHT it was out. We even DOUSED it with water before we went to sleep. You can just never be sure. To those of you who continue to think it’s not dangerous, chances are you’ll get away with it. Just like you’ll probably get away with driving yourself home, drunk. Why take the chance? That’s just dumb. ---
**Author:** ![CheekyMonkey613](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e480ec/32.png) [@CheekyMonkey613](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheekyMonkey613)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/31 "2004-03-11T19:58:29Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > … from now on I guess I’ll just shit on your picture and burn it in my ash tray. 😃 Nice. Classy even. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/32 "2004-03-11T20:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > You can just never be sure. Sure you can, shug. Cigarettes are not like campfires. You dip the cherry in water, and it goes out. Period. End of problem. I always used to run the butt under a little running water before chucking it in the can. I’ll bet a lot of people do. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/33 "2004-03-11T20:23:11Z")
> [@CheekyMonkey613](#): > > Nice. Classy even. :rolleyes: Yes, I know, and nearly as mature as your response to my post in which I said that cigarette butts should not be put in a toilet. Apparently you can’t take a joke, either. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/34 "2004-03-11T21:03:48Z")
My husband and I each smoke a pack a day. We have safety ashtrays and each morning, I dump all the ashtrays (4 or 5 at least) into one ashtray. When I get home from work, I dump those into the garbage. This isn’t rocket science. There are plenty of household accidents that happen that have nothing to do with smoking. Why pick this particular one? People put flammable things near their stove and torch the place that way all the time. What about dryer fires? My friend’s husband is a fireman and he said that’s the number one cause of house fires. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/35 "2004-03-12T01:17:22Z")
I’m a smoker, as is The Cody. Only one ashtray gets used often enough to have to worry about a “cool-down” period before it’s tossed, and that’s the computer ashtray. For some reason, we have 6 ashtrays in the living room for 2 people (I think I’m a packrat - plus, I thefted one of them from a restaurant a few years ago while on vacation). So . . . I’m apparently not supposed to toss my butts in the trash, nor am I to flush them. Should I just take to tossing them over the railing? 🙂 I think a lot of smokers are smarter than you’re giving us credit for. PS: I empty my car ashtray into trash cans at gas stations. PPS: There are a LOT of smokers in my apt building, and it’s been standing for 30-40 years so far. Even with how stupid my neighbors are, there haven’t been any fires so far. Let’s hope they make it until May! ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/36 "2004-03-12T02:08:18Z")
[Butt Headz](http://www.herbsmoke.com/butt/) are great. I only smoke in one place, so I have one of these in my ashtray. The cigarette goes out instantly every time. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/37 "2004-03-12T02:51:08Z")
So, **CheekyMonkey631** , do you check other people garbage often or what? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/38 "2004-03-12T03:03:50Z")
> [@CheekyMonkey613](#): > > My aunt does; she lives in a country house on a farm. She doesn’t even flush toilet paper. (a) How did you learn this? (b) What does she do with her used toilet paper? (Never mind; I don’t want to know.) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/39 "2004-03-12T19:32:28Z")
Don’t you know you are supposed to dump them on the pavement of the parking lot like all the other Walmart shoppers? ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726/40 "2004-03-12T23:02:25Z")
> [@masonite](#): > > (a) How did you learn this? > (b) What does she do with her used toilet paper? > > (Never mind; I don’t want to know.) Um, I don’t think I want to know either, actually. -Lil who’s lived with two smokers all her life without being burned to a crisp. Even I know not to put a smoldering butt into a trashcan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-empty-their-ashtrays-in-the-garbage/233726.md?page=3)