THINK Team Cleans up Cigarette Butts in Mitchell for Earth Week

The Perth District Health Unit’s THINK team celebrated Earth Week by picking up cigarette butt litter across Mitchell as part of the Thames River Cleanup on Saturday, April 18. Contrary to popular belief, cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, and never completely break down.

The THINK team is a group of youth that work with the Perth District Health Unit to prevent youth from starting to smoke. In just a few short hours, the THINK team collected two buckets of cigarette litter.

“We want to raise awareness about the negative impact cigarette butt litter has on our environment,” says THINK team member and Mitchell resident, Dani Schoonderwoerd. “They leach toxic chemicals into water and soil, they are poisonous to animals and young children and, unfortunately, they seem to be everywhere.”

Cigarette butts are the number one littered item in the world with approximately 4.5 trillion cigarette butts littered each year.

The THINK team urges people to please not litter their cigarette butts. “Our earth is not an ashtray,” says Schoonderwoerd.

The THINK team has also been using their social media platforms to educate their fans about the environmental impacts of cigarette butts.

– See more at: http://www.pdhu.on.ca/think-team-cleans-up-cigarette-butts-in-mitchell-for-earth-week/#sthash.VAVlQmFF.dpuf

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