Cigarette butts on the beaches

It's a never ending problem. I walk and swim at Magens on STT three early mornings a week and the butts pushed into the sand and washed up at the high tide line are gross. It doesn't take a moment to put out the cigarette and put the butt into either an empty soda can or a small baggie and then either take it home to properly dispose of or put it into a beach garbage can (and Lord knows Magens in particular has them placed every few feet)! I'm not saying that residents aren't also offenders but I sometimes think visitors disengage their brains and leave their manners at home judging from the garbage they just leave on the beach for someone else to clean up. On a heavy cruise ship day the popular "sheepie" beaches are totally littered with plastic food containers, empty suntan lotion bottles, napkins, empty soda cans and all else - when garbage containers are just a couple of feet away.

But we can all help without being rudely offensive. If you're on the beaches during the day, see someone smoking and crushing out the butts in the sand to leave there, just nicely give them a heads up and ask them to please dispose of them properly. I've done it for years and, as much as one wants to turn the offenders upside down and forcibly jam their heads into the sand, a nice reminder almost always does the trick and their brains click into gear. Only once did someone mouth off at me and when all diplomacy went out of the window I finally lost it and reverted to local dialect with a loud tongue-lashing. As I stormed off a round of applause followed me. Back-up rant over!!!

I agree with Old Tart about saying something politely. Although you shouldn't have to.

I'm a smoker and I've never understood why some smokers think that cigarette butts are above being considered garbage and should just be tossed wherever. I used to pick up a tossed butt and say "I'm sorry, but you seemed to have dropped this" and offer it back. When I got the strange look I'd say "oh, is this garbage? haha, we keep our trash in containers in this town, not the street".

i too am a smoker, when i go to the beach, i put my butt out and put it in my beach bag. that way it goes home with me and does not end up in the water. that too pisses me off when i see butts on the ground. if you have no trash can, put the butt in you cigarette pack.

From my observations last week on STX, it seems that the latest generation of 20 somethings have not been trained by their parents to tidy up after themselves. My parents generation were probably the worse slobs in the history of man. Everything was thrown out the car window as if the world was one big trash can. Then, in the sixties and seventies the government made people aware that trashing the environment was not good.
The only one I saw littering the beach last week was a young woman with a tattoo from neck to hip leave a banana peel in the sand after trying to dig a hole with her toe and minimally cover it. Also the only ones to not bus their own dishes at the hotel provided continental breakfast were two young girls.

I can learn to see and appreciate the value in just about anyone...except smokers. Every aspect of the habit is vile and the practice requires that conscience and consideration be deliberately abandoned. Worst of all, the habit is now most prevalent among that demographic which is working to dismantle the healthcare infrastructure upon which they will, en mass, descend within the next 25 years.

just because a person smokes does not mean that they have no value. thats a pretty narrow minded statement you made. and even if i were not a smoker i would still say that. why, because i think there is almost always a redeeming quality in every individual, except those who think smokers have no value.

I wasn't surprised that someone with a strong aversion to smoking would feel compelled to speak but, regardless. we can all do our best to educate butt-litterers and litterers in general to properly dispose of their waste in order to keep our beaches clean and our sea denizens safe. 😀

agree, it infuriates me to see people litter, especially butts because i don't know if they ever decompose. banana peel, not so much as that is a natural product that will decompose in short order.

How about Cigarette Boats and their clones roaring aroundthe anchorages that abut these beaches - which is what I thought this thread was about when I misread the header on the post.

I can learn to see and appreciate the value in just about anyone...except smokers. Every aspect of the habit is vile and the practice requires that conscience and consideration be deliberately abandoned. Worst of all, the habit is now most prevalent among that demographic which is working to dismantle the healthcare infrastructure upon which they will, en mass, descend within the next 25 years.

My goodness!! That's pretty low, and not entirely true. I'd love to see you demographic source regarding smokers' political affiliations. Last I heard, it was pretty bipartisan, but leaning toward Republicans. Of course we know what they want to do health care. So maybe you're right about that part. Your opinion is, of course, your opinion. But self-righteousness comes back and bites you in the butt (pun not intended) eventually.

I can learn to see and appreciate the value in just about anyone...except smokers. Every aspect of the habit is vile and the practice requires that conscience and consideration be deliberately abandoned. Worst of all, the habit is now most prevalent among that demographic which is working to dismantle the healthcare infrastructure upon which they will, en mass, descend within the next 25 years.

Wow! I smoked for 20 years and at times like while traveling 2 packs a day. First thing I did was have a cigarette in the morning before anything else. I was a hard core smoker.

I never left my butts anywhere. Even on a sidewalk I put them out and then threw them in the trash.

But I quit and it was a lot of work and I could never ever go back. I am so healthy now I can't imagine how I ever smoked for so long. I started when I was young and dumb. I was 13 years old. The stupidest thing I ever did. But once you are a smoker it is very, very, very hard to quit. Any current or past smoker will say that. Have you ever heard someone say it was a breeze to quit smoking? No. And if they did say that then they probably were a social smoker.

Your comment was extremely harsh I can tell you were never a smoker. You would maybe think differently if you were imprisoned by cigarettes for more than 1/2 of your life.

I just feel bad for smokers and I know they don't want me to feel bad for them. But it was the most amazing thing about a year after I quit and I realized I was finally free. I used to think ALL the time when could I have my next cigarette. Even while smoking planing when the next one will be. It is so nice to be free of all that. Anyway I don't want to lecture the smokers as they have heard it a billion times.

My dad used to smoke outside the house during the winter, and in the spring there'd be a pile of butts in various places we'd have to clean up.

Having recently relocated to SW Florida, I'm pleasantly surprised how clean the beaches are here. No smoking, and almost no trash. Years ago this was not true on Fl beaches, so there's hope if people start to care.

Let me suggest a kindly worded sign that encourages love for the beach.

Smoking on the beach is a finable offense in many municiplaities/states. Eventually the VI will catch-up and realize a new source of revenue. (like the "seatbelt" and cellphone laws)I never noticed how gross smoking is until i quit. I think smoking should be outlawed in all public areas, indoors and out. Maybe just have "smoker's clubs"--like "strip clubs".

I can learn to see and appreciate the value in just about anyone...except smokers. Every aspect of the habit is vile and the practice requires that conscience and consideration be deliberately abandoned. Worst of all, the habit is now most prevalent among that demographic which is working to dismantle the healthcare infrastructure upon which they will, en mass, descend within the next 25 years.

Health care cost are mostly driven by fat people, people who don't exercise and people who include processed foods, factory farmed meat and a host of other terrible eating habits, but enjoy your high horse of disinformation.

Not dismissing how bad smoking is. I know it. It's my worst vice. I've been using tobacco for 30 years and I'm 38. It sucks, but people get too dramatic about it compared to things that aren't more addictive then heroin.

Jamison,
You sure are hating on the fat folks!
I have been in health care as a medical professional for 34 years. Both smokers and obese people tend to have a lot of health problems.
Unreimbursed care is the biggest problem.
Do you have health insurance Jamison??

Smoking on the beach is a finable offense in many municiplaities/states. Eventually the VI will catch-up and realize a new source of revenue. (like the "seatbelt" and cellphone laws)I never noticed how gross smoking is until i quit. I think smoking should be outlawed in all public areas, indoors and out. Maybe just have "smoker's clubs"--like "strip clubs".

You do know that the VI has a no-smoking law which went into effect last year?

Jamison,
You sure are hating on the fat folks!
I have been in health care as a medical professional for 34 years. Both smokers and obese people tend to have a lot of health problems.
Unreimbursed care is the biggest problem.
Do you have health insurance Jamison??

I had it for years, but it cost me more to have it when I broke my ankle and when I had Lymes,as well as a few other things so I dropped it.

I'm sorry for the harsh tone also, it was reactionary to a rant about smokers. We are hardly the only problem out there.

Cigarette butts are litter, and we have anti-littering laws that are seldom enforced. Sigh.

Smoking on the beach is a finable offense in many municiplaities/states. Eventually the VI will catch-up and realize a new source of revenue. (like the "seatbelt" and cellphone laws)I never noticed how gross smoking is until i quit. I think smoking should be outlawed in all public areas, indoors and out. Maybe just have "smoker's clubs"--like "strip clubs".

You do know that the VI has a no-smoking law which went into effect last year?

Yes. But it doesn't cover outdoors, correct? And "enforcement" seems a bit selective....

Smoking on the beach is a finable offense in many municiplaities/states. Eventually the VI will catch-up and realize a new source of revenue. (like the "seatbelt" and cellphone laws)I never noticed how gross smoking is until i quit. I think smoking should be outlawed in all public areas, indoors and out. Maybe just have "smoker's clubs"--like "strip clubs".

You do know that the VI has a no-smoking law which went into effect last year?

Yes. But it doesn't cover outdoors, correct? And "enforcement" seems a bit selective....

Yes it does cover outdoors in many instances, including on public beaches. I can't find the link to it right now but you can find the whole law online for details. I think it may have been linked in a thread here about a year ago too. I don't know about the law being enforced "selectively". There have been several complaints made on forums about such and such bar/restaurant allowing smoking despite the law but I've yet to see anyone write that they actually called the enforcement number which is posted in these establishments.

Smoking on the beach is a finable offense in many municiplaities/states. Eventually the VI will catch-up and realize a new source of revenue. (like the "seatbelt" and cellphone laws)I never noticed how gross smoking is until i quit. I think smoking should be outlawed in all public areas, indoors and out. Maybe just have "smoker's clubs"--like "strip clubs".

You do know that the VI has a no-smoking law which went into effect last year?

Yes. But it doesn't cover outdoors, correct? And "enforcement" seems a bit selective....

Yes it does cover outdoors in many instances, including on public beaches. I can't find the link to it right now but you can find the whole law online for details. I think it may have been linked in a thread here about a year ago too. I don't know about the law being enforced "selectively". There have been several complaints made on forums about such and such bar/restaurant allowing smoking despite the law but I've yet to see anyone write that they actually called the enforcement number which is posted in these establishments.

Really?

Smoking on the beach is a finable offense in many municiplaities/states. Eventually the VI will catch-up and realize a new source of revenue. (like the "seatbelt" and cellphone laws)I never noticed how gross smoking is until i quit. I think smoking should be outlawed in all public areas, indoors and out. Maybe just have "smoker's clubs"--like "strip clubs".

You do know that the VI has a no-smoking law which went into effect last year?

Yes. But it doesn't cover outdoors, correct? And "enforcement" seems a bit selective....

Yes it does cover outdoors in many instances, including on public beaches. I can't find the link to it right now but you can find the whole law online for details. I think it may have been linked in a thread here about a year ago too. I don't know about the law being enforced "selectively". There have been several complaints made on forums about such and such bar/restaurant allowing smoking despite the law but I've yet to see anyone write that they actually called the enforcement number which is posted in these establishments.

Really?

"The Smoke-Free Act prohibits smoking in any public place including restaurants, bars and all places of employment. Smoking still will be allowed on beaches, but not within 20 feet of concession stands, restaurants and other businesses located on the beach."

And yet they still let people smoke at the bar at Off the Wall. Even some of the employess who smoke at the upper rail where the smoke blows in the direction of all the patrons:X

And yet they still let people smoke at the bar at Off the Wall. Even some of the employess who smoke at the upper rail where the smoke blows in the direction of all the patrons:X

Every restaurant/bar is required to have a notice displayed which gives the number to call for complaints of violations. Call it. I'll look it up and link it in a moment. In the meantime, here's the whole Act if anyone has any questions about the law:

http://www.healthvi.org/assets/documents/2010/text-of-act-7171.pdf

You can download the no smoking sign which has the number from here:

http://www.healthvi.org/smokefree/faq.html#q4