This is a timely reminder sent to us by BayToday reader Nora Demeester.
With forest fire season back, it doesn't take much to start something that could be quite damaging.
Nora was at the waterfront walking her two Border Collies when she found this evidence of a carelessly tossed cigarette butt which burned a circle in the grass!
"Carelessness like this causes forest fires!" she wrote.
Before yesterdays rain, the forest fire hazard was high to extreme throughout the Northeast Region.
Smokers should push and grind the cigarette into asphalt or concrete until there's no sign of glowing heat. Make sure to throw the cigarette in a bin if outside. Do not leave it burning on the ground, as this poses a fire hazard.
For hardcore recyclers, there is a company that actually recycles butts.
TerraCycle is eliminating the idea of waste by recycling the "non-recyclable."
"Whether it's coffee capsules from your home, pens from a school, or plastic gloves from a manufacturing facility, TerraCycle can collect and recycle almost any form of waste. We partner with individual collectors such as yourself, as well as major consumer product companies, retailers, manufacturers, municipalities, and small businesses across 20 different countries. With your help, we are able to divert millions of pounds of waste from landfills and incinerators each month," according to the company website.
