Studying Cigarette Littering Behavior

I earned my Master’s degree in the human dimensions of
natural resources. This specialization focuses on understanding human behavior
associated with natural resource management.

For my thesis research, I studied the issue of cigarette butt littering behavior on a public beach; specifically, on Jekyll Island in Georgia. This research idea came about after my time at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center when I learned that volunteers had collected and logged, through the Marine Debris Initiative, more than 31,000 cigarette butts on Jekyll Island’s beaches by 2017 (1-2).

Clearly, cigarettes do not occur naturally in the environment; therefore, cigarette butts on a beach are a consequence of human behavior. So, it was important to combat this environmental issue by examining the human behavior leading to it.

Problems with Cigarette Butts

Cigarette butts on beaches can be problematic for terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Cigarette filters, although they appear to be made of cotton, are actually made of plastic. These filters do not biodegrade when discarded onto the ground, but instead break into smaller pieces called microplastics, which accumulate in the water and soil, thus contributing to the pollution of natural resources (3-6). Cigarettes contain many toxic metals such as aluminum, lead, and zinc, which can leach into the environment and harm living organisms (7-8). Animals can also mistake the cigarette butts for food, eat them, and then have digestive tract problems (9).

Cigarette butts on beaches can also impact beachgoers. Children, with their tendency to put things into their mouths, can ingest cigarette butts and get nicotine poisoning (10). Chemicals leaching out of cigarette butts can expose humans to unhealthy heavy metals and chemical residues (11). And, there’s always the chance of a person stepping on an unextinguished “butt” and burning their feet.

The Study

I developed a questionnaire and interview questions to look at how habits, place attachment (an emotional bond a person has to a place (12)), environmental attitudes, and environmental awareness affected smoking beachgoer’s discarding behavior.

To ensure smokers on the beach had access to receptacles
specifically designed for cigarette disposal, I installed black cigarette
receptacles onto the beach before starting my study. I placed the cigarette receptacles
on existing trash and recycling receptacle poles.  

In order to reduce the chance of people “fibbing” to me about how they discarded their cigarette butt, I simply observed them. I needed to KNOW, not just GUESS, how a person discarded their cigarette butt.  I patrolled Jekyll Island’s beaches, watching for people that were smoking. When I noticed someone smoking, I would observe the smoking behavior and subsequent discard of the cigarette butt. I marked a person’s discard as “proper” if they discarded the “butt” into one of the cigarette receptacles I had installed, or into a receptacle they provided themselves (for example, a used drink container). A person’s discard was considered improper if they got rid of the cigarette butt in any other way. This included tossing the “butt” onto the sand, or into the water.

After I observed the person discarding their cigarette, I approached them and explained that I was a researcher and asked if they would be willing to take a survey. Importantly, I talked to people that discarded their “butt” properly, and those who discarded improperly so that I could compare their answers. After they completed my questionnaire, I conducted an interview which offered the participants an opportunity to describe their cigarette discarding behavior in their own words.

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I think it’s important to note that I am very thankful for the positive participation I received from study participants. These individuals were on the beach enjoying their time off and I approached them to question their behaviors. They could have easily brushed me off or been rude. But instead, they took a few minutes out of their beach time to fill out my survey and discuss their behaviors with me. Often times, they even offered me food, water, or shade to escape the Georgia heat for a little while. I am incredibly thankful to all of them for their time and kindness.

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Findings

When I analyzed my data, I discovered that place attachment
was not a significant predictor of cigarette butt disposal behavior. However, I
learned that a person’s environmental attitudes (whether they had
pro-environmental attitudes or not), their environmental awareness (whether
they understood the environmental consequences of discarding their “butt” onto
the ground), and habits (whether they had a habit of discarding onto the
ground) all contributed to their discarding behavior.

I also compared the interviews from both improper or proper discarders. I found out that improper discarders didn’t understand if cigarettes were considered litter or not. Some people thought they were considered litter, while others stated that they were “harmless” or that there were other, larger pollution issues to be dealt with. Improper discarders also said there were problems with the cigarette receptacles I installed. For example, they said the receptacles were inconveniently located, they weren’t recognizable as cigarette receptacles, and that they were not noticeable on the beach. Improper discarders also talked about how they needed to make a choice about how they were going to discard the butt, and stated that they often don’t have a conscious thought process when they’re discarding.

In contrast, the proper discarding group believed cigarette butts were litter and should not be on the ground. They also talked about how they were aware that their smoking and discarding behavior may affect others, and how they didn’t want that. Proper discarders talked about the cumulative effects of many people throwing their cigarette butts onto the ground (such as toxins entering the ecosystem, the discarded “butts” being aesthetically unappealing, and the possibility of smoking bans being instituted to cut down on discarded “butts”), and how they didn’t want those effects. Proper discarders felt personally responsible to take their own cigarette butts with them, recognizing that others were not going to pick up after them if they threw them onto the ground. All of these factors led to this group of smokers properly discarding their cigarette butts.   

Impacting Cigarette Littering

Upon completing my study, I presented my findings and recommendations about how to combat improper cigarette discarding behavior, to the Jekyll Island Authority Board of Directors. I recommended they promote pro-environmental attitudes amongst smokers, alter habitual improper discarding, create an awareness of how cigarette butts negatively impact the environment, increase place attachment in visitors to the island, minimize barriers to proper discarding (for example, install recognizable cigarette receptacles in convenient locations), and change policies to require cigarette disposal receptacles at all beach locations.

By implementing as many of these recommendations as possible it is conceivable that the number of improperly discarded cigarette butts found on Jekyll Island could be reduced. Thus, the natural environment, wildlife, and the public could be protected from the toxins, microplastics, burns, and choking hazards associated with cigarette butts.

For more details you can read the summary report I created for the Jekyll Island Authority. If you would like to read the full thesis, you can find it here.