With smokers flicking an estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts – or discarded cigarette ends – into the environment each year, it is time to take a firmer stand against this toxin-laden form of litter. These butts are essentially small toxic waste sites containing harmful chemicals and heavy metals, according to researchers. Especially problematic are the plastic filters found on many cigarettes, (36) ______. In fact, the filters accumulate toxins and can release chemicals for a decade. As millions of tons of butts end up on sidewalks, roadsides, and beaches, tobacco waste carries a high potential for contamination: (37) ______ during coastal cleanups, accounting for 19 percent to 38 percent of the global total.
(38) ______. This is because discarded cigarette ends are not usually classified in the same way as other forms of toxic waste. Thus, reducing the threat will require new environmental measures and closer cooperation between anti-smoking and environmental groups. Gentler approaches could include (39) ______ their cigarette butts into waste bins. At the same time, more far-reaching regulation should also be considered. Governments could ban filtered cigarettes, for instance, or require tobacco companies to take back their waste and pay the cost of cleanups. (40) ______.
(Adapted from Conservation Magazine)