Surfrider Foundation hosts Hold On To Your Butt Day in San Diego

Hold On To Your Butt Awareness Day is Saturday November 14th, volunteers wanted!

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in The United States and the world. This type of litter is not just found on streets and in urban settings; the number of cigarette butts found on beaches and nearby areas is overwhelming--typically accounting for nearly one in every three items collected during our cleanups. Cigarette waste discarded miles inland compounds the problem as it can end up in stormdrains that flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately the ocean. To make matters worse, lighted cigarette butts flicked into California�s dry arid environment can spark deadly and costly wildfires.

Hold Onto Your Butt Awareness Day will involve activists, volunteers, and friends of the environment gathering at three of San Diego County's busiest traffic intersections near the beach. There, Surfrider activists will hold signs, pass out personal ashtrays, stickers and graphically demonstrate to motorists the problem that we are so concerned about. We will encourage motorists and beachgoers to dispose of cigarettes safely, and explain that cigarette butts thrown on the ground can eventually end up in the ocean and affect marine life, including surfers and swimmers. Volunteers will also clean the surrounding area, keeping track of how many cigarette butts and other items they find.

Surfrider activists will be at these intersections from 10 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, November 14th: