King County wants public input by March 31 on their 2016 stormwater management plan. As we've cleaned up thousands of cigarette butts off the ground at local streets, beaches, and parks, we want the County to start taking cigarette litter seriously. As of March 2016, there are no local stormwater documents that acknowledge cigarette litter as a toxic, plastic waste product that is fatal to fish and other marine life.
If you think the County should start addressing cigarette litter, we encourage you to email stormwater@kingcounty.gov with your thoughts. Here is a sample email you can use as a template.
To whom it may concern:
The Ocean Conservancy documents year after year that cigarette butts are the #1 item littered worldwide. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable, and are extremely toxic to fish- the toxic chemicals leaching from just one butt can kill several fish in hours. As a volunteer for Seattle Surfrider, I have seen and picked up cigarette litter not only on local beaches, but on our streets and even in parks where smoking is not allowed. I'm asking King County to consider cigarette litter as a toxic pollutant in our stormwater and to appoint funds towards preventing cigarette littering. You might also follow in the footsteps of other municipalities and begin holding tobacco companies accountable for the litter.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
