Cigarette butts are litter. Research shows that individuals who would never consider littering an aluminum can or paper, may well be littering cigarette butts.

Although overall cigarette smoking in America has decreased, cigarette litter is an emerging litter problem in communities around the country. Dropping cigarette butts to the ground, putting them in planters, and disposing of them in waterways is littering. According to Keep America Beautiful research, the overall littering rate for cigarette butts is 65%, and tobacco products comprise 38% of all U.S. roadway litter. Cigarette litter is unsightly, costly to clean up, and harmful to wildlife and waterways.