Smoking, litter & location
Cigarette butts and smoking have been pet hates of mine for many years but I found myself feeling sympathetic recently at my apartment complex AGM. I live in an 8 storey complex and everyone has a small balcony except for 6 of us who have large, 8 metre wide terraces. I find that there is an offensive habit by some people who live on the 6 floors above me to “toss the butt” treating my nice potted garden terrace as an ashtray. I hate cleaning up this toxic litter that has been in some stranger’s mouth. YUK.
However I did feel sorry for the poor addicted smokers when there was a motion by some people to ban smoking on balconies because others get the smoke wafting into their apartments. Yes, I agree that would be horrid but if an addict lives on the 6th floor it is a big ask to have to go downstairs to smoke.
This is a really difficult area.
Passive smoke is so dangerous and some of us are highly allergic or sensitive to it. Smokers tend to congregate around doorways so it is almost impossible to get out of a building or walk down narrow city canyon like streets without feeling seriously gassed. I can see both sides and I think we need a serious debate about where they can safely smoke now it has been banned indoors.
Butts are a whole extra problem. 49% of Australia’s litter is cigarette butts. This is up from 46% a year ago before smoking was banned in front bars of pubs. Australians discard around 7.5 billion butts each year. They are highly toxic and don’t break down.
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