Skip to content (press enter)
Donate

07.30.13

San Diegans are Encouraged to Hold On To Their Butts this Sunday August 4th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE 7/30/13

Contact: Dukes Wooters
HOTYB Campaign Leader, Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter
Phone: 610-316-8391
Email: dukes@surfridersd.org
Website: www.surfridersd.org

San Diegans are Encouraged to Hold On To Their Butts this Sunday, August 4th

San Diego - In an effort to raise awareness and reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter in the region, the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter will be hosting its annual Hold Onto Your Butt Awareness Day on Sunday, August 4th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at Mission Beach - across from Belmont Park at the intersection of Mission Blvd. & West Mission Bay Dr. in San Diego.

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, with approximately 5 trillion cigarette butts discarded in our environment every year. This type of litter is not just found on streets and in urban settings; the number of cigarette butts found on beaches and nearby areas is overwhelming, accounting for approximately 40% of the items collected during Surfrider Foundation's monthly public beach cleanups. Cigarette waste discarded miles inland compounds the problem as it can end up in drains that flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately the ocean.

Hold Onto Your Butt Awareness Day will consist of volunteer activists gathering on Mission Beach's busy traffic intersections as people arrive at the beach. Surfrider activists will hold signs, pass out pocket ashtrays and stickers to graphically demonstrate the impact that cigarette butts have on our beaches and ocean. Motorists and beachgoers will be encouraged to dispose of cigarettes safely and reminded that cigarette butts thrown on the ground can eventually end up in the ocean and affect marine life, including surfers and swimmers.

The Hold On To Your Butt Campaign has installed more than 160 cylinder ashcans throughout San Diego County to help prevent cigarette butt litter. More information about the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter and the Hold On To Your Butt Campaign can be found at https://sandiego.surfrider.org/campaigns/hold-on-to-your-butt. Please direct any questions about this campaign to HOTYB Campaign Leader, Dukes Wooters, at dukes@surfridersd.org or 610-316-8391.

###