Throwing a cigarette butt onto the beach is like throwing a plastic cup or can into the ocean. Cigarette companies keep customers uninformed that the cigarette butts they throw out won’t actually biodegrade – it turns out that they can stay in the environment for 10 to 15 years. The company Greenbutts proposes a simple solution to this problem, though. In 2014, they will release their 100% biodegradable cigarette filters. These cigarette and RYO (roll your own) filters are void of chemicals, and contain compostable materials like flax, hemp, and cotton. Greenbutts filters biodegrade in less than a month, a much more environmentally friendly solution to our current synthetic filters.

It is commonly believed that synthetic cigarette filters are biodegradable but they actually only scatter into the air and water supply. According to the nonprofit Clean Virginia Waterways, “cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food.” Cigarette butts make up 30% of litter on beaches, and are the most common form of all plastic litter on beaches worldwide. The goal of Greenbutts is to eliminate this type of pollution while simultaneously giving smokers a better quality, better tasting cigarette void of synthetic substances that are currently in cigarettes. 

Innovative thinking and protecting the environment doesn’t have to be complicated. The makers of Greenbutts filters don’t condone littering or smoking, but they know people will continue to do both and want to provide a more environmentally friendly replacement. Filters don’t have to be made synthetically, and there are several items that can be replaced with biodegradable alternatives. Greg T. Spielberg’s article “Can Cork Save the Planet?” in the March/April print edition of The Intelligent Optimist discusses endless possibilities of how abundant natural materials can meet our needs. Ingredients such as corn are being used to make diapers, bags, cards, and plastic cups. Spielberg writes that the US grows about 1.8 billion bushels that go uneaten each year, so why not use that corn instead of a fossil fuel? These simple questions and ideas help people think about alternative solutions to getting the goods we need and use everyday, and doing it in a more efficient and ecological way.