# Steophan, throwing cigarette butts on the ground IS littering **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 23, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078 "2010-10-23T06:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/101 "2010-10-25T21:19:09Z")
[derail] I know this is the pit but I was wondering if there is a reputable site that gives the average time it takes for various types of trash to biodegrade. I found this [How Long Does It Take For Trash to Biodegrade?](http://www.greenecoservices.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-trash-to-biodegrade/) but it doesn’t have any data to back the assertions. That site, for example, states that a cigarette butt takes 10 years to biodegrade, but I find that difficult to reconcile with the constituent material of polyester. Anyone know of a good source for this? Thanks! [/derail] ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/102 "2010-10-25T21:23:12Z")
Um, why else would someone reek? Unless they were just horizontal mamboing with a smoker. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/103 "2010-10-25T21:51:56Z")
I always used to \*fug \*of cigarettes after getting home from a bar or a venue that allowed smoking (i.e., all of them, prior to the citywide ban this July). ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/104 "2010-10-26T04:10:51Z")
Fug? ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/105 "2010-10-26T06:53:39Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Fug? Fuck while hugging. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/106 "2010-10-26T10:48:16Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Oh look, more confirmation bias. Everyone who smells like smoke has been smoking! So therefore all the people who smoke smell like smoke, and all the people who don’t smell like smoke don’t smoke! :rolleyes: Just add “people who live in a house with smokers” and “people who frequent bars that allow smoking” to the group of people who smell like smoke. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/107 "2010-10-26T13:11:14Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I always used to \*fug \*of cigarettes after getting home from a bar or a venue that allowed smoking (i.e., all of them, prior to the citywide ban this July). Wow! They just banned smoking \*this July \*there?!! The last time I saw a cigarette being smoked in a club in upstate NY had to be years and years ago. It would just weird me out to see it now. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/108 "2010-10-26T15:13:49Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Fug? A fug is like a smell you can cut into bricks. > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Wow! They just banned smoking \*this July \*there?!! Yup. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/109 "2010-10-26T15:17:48Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > A fug is like a smell you can cut into bricks. Ahhhh. > [@Quint](#): > > Fuck while hugging. This…does not seem right. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/110 "2010-10-26T15:47:05Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Wow! They just banned smoking \*this July \*there?!! The last time I saw a cigarette being smoked in a club in upstate NY had to be years and years ago. It would just weird me out to see it now. I was in South Dakota two months ago, and folks were smoking in bars there. Even though Illinois’ smoking ban is less than three years old (and I’ve been going to bars [legally] for over 26 years) it seemed like a really strange anachronism. ---
**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:** [October 26, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/111 "2010-10-26T15:48:57Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > …and certainly no one who would hold on to a cigarette outside until they find an ashtray. Uhhh… I was legislated into non-smoking when they outlawed the sale of individually packaged cigarettes, but when I was still permitted to maintain a moderate habit (~1 per day) I always took care to either knock the end off and put the filter in a wastebin (or, if one was unavailable) put it back in the package and into my pocket until an opportunity presented it. I may have been a smoker, but I wasn’t a _monster_. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/112 "2010-10-26T17:17:38Z")
We stopped for supper in Missouri two years ago, and it never occurred to us that we would be eating in a restaurant that still allowed smoking. Come on, people are _eating_ here! ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/113 "2010-10-26T20:16:11Z")
I used to not particularly care about smokers dropping their butts (assuming there was no fire hazard.) A few years ago my dog started eating cigarette butts whenever he found them in the gutter. I’m just not fast enough to spot them and jerk him away before he snarfs one. I think he has developed a bit of a nicotine problem. So, butts are litter IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/114 "2010-10-26T20:18:40Z")
Further proof that dogs are fucking gross. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/115 "2010-10-26T20:45:02Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > We stopped for supper in Missouri two years ago, and it never occurred to us that we would be eating in a restaurant that still allowed smoking. Come on, people are _eating_ here! And people have finished their meal and are enjoying that one perfect post-coffee ciggy. It really is the best one ever. You might argue that they could just do it outside, but lemme axe you this : would you enjoy your post-coital orgasm cooldown time out in the cold ? Don’t you hate it when the neighbours complain you’re fucking too loud ? Now, I’m not arguing non-smokers should just shut up and soldier. But just like quiet fuckers can and should be able to rely on wall insulation to preserve their quiet from the loud fuckers among us, so should non-smokers be able to rely on separate, well ventilated restaurant rooms to preserve them from smokers. The unilateral ban is a dick move IMO. Which in practice means non-smokers get to navigate through the dense cloud of smoke they hate (and a huddle of smokers) just to reach to bar’s door anyway. And no, you don’t get to argue that “we tried telling restaurants/bars/clubs this for years, but they wouldn’t listen !”. If you can force them to ban smokers entirely, you can force them to enforce strict double standards. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/116 "2010-10-26T21:07:05Z")
The rooms are never as well ventilated as smokers think. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/117 "2010-10-26T21:57:38Z")
They indeed never were. I’ve even been to restaurants where the smoking room was indicated and separated from the non-smoking aisle by a single Chinese lacquered folding screen. No joke. But they \*could \*have been made so. And if the cost of making them so was disproportionate compared to the scratch made from smokers by the bar/restaurant/club owners, then the latter could have set their own strict no smoking policy. Or, if the non-smoking world has deemed smoking is just not to be fucking tolerated anymore, then ban tobacco entirely and be done with it, that’d also be fine by me. I just can’t stand this hypocritical halfway crap. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/118 "2010-10-26T23:25:27Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Further proof that dogs are fucking gross. Maybe, but since humans are the ones who smoke them, that’s just further proof that humans are gross. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/119 "2010-10-26T23:29:41Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > [@Shot From Guns](#): > > > > Further proof that dogs are fucking gross. > > Maybe, but since humans are the ones who smoke them, that’s just further proof that humans are gross. People are now smoking _dogs_??? :eek: WTF??? 😕:mad: What’s the buzz like? Is it better than [huffing kittens](http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Kitten_Huffing)? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078/120 "2010-10-27T13:12:43Z")
**Kobal2** , you know smokers are the minority, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steophan-throwing-cigarette-butts-on-the-ground-is-littering/558078.md?page=7)