After years of discussions and outreach, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously today to ban the sale of tobacco products with a single-use plastic filter or plastic tip to help address plastic pollution. The 'Ban the Butt' ordinance requires a second vote on October 29th to become law.
This ordinance, the first of its kind, will cover the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County starting in 2027, or when at least two cities pass similar ordinances -- whichever date is later. We encourage all cities in Santa Cruz County to pass similar ordinances to help provide a level playing field for retailers while also pressuring statewide legislators to take action on the issue.
Beach cleanups are our most popular volunteer activity and cigarette butts are the most collected item of litter, both nationally as well in Santa Cruz County’s riverways and beaches. In fact, according to a 2023 NOAA study, an astounding 24.5% of all trash collected on the shoreline of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary between 2017 and 2021 could be attributed to smoking!
Cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, a non-biodegradable plastic, which breaks into microplastics and bioaccumulates in marine organisms. Butts are toxic waste and leach dangerous chemicals such as lead, arsenic, and nicotine into the environment where they can poison small children, pets, wildlife, and marine life. Embers from a cigarette are also a fire hazard, responsible for burning 88,898 acres in California since 1980.
Surfrider has a 'Hold On To Your Butt' program aimed at eliminating cigarette butt litter to help address the plastic pollution crisis and water quality issues when the toxins in butts get released in water. We’re an environmental organization and our chapters have tried everything from education to handing out personal ashtrays to installing hundreds of outdoor ashcans throughout California. None of those actions have made big progress in addressing the cigarette litter issue overall so we need to continue to go to the source and eliminate the unnecessary plastic filters and plastic tips.