San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and volunteers with the Surfrider Foundation are set to go through the Ocean Beach business area Sunday to pick up discarded cigarette butts, refurbish existing ash cans and distribute 30 new cans.
Faulconer will rally teams from Surfrider’s “Hold On To Your Butt” committee before they are deployed in Ocean Beach’s Voltaire and Newport business areas.
The mayor will also be honored by Surfrider for his support of the eight-year-old environmental program.
Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the United States and can be found on streets and beaches throughout San Diego County. Approximately 40 percent of the items collected during Surfrider’s beach cleanups are cigarette butts.
Wildlife often ingests cigarette butts, which poses a serious threat to their well-being and may cause death. The filters in cigarettes are made of plastic and don’t biodegrade. These filters also release harmful toxins when saturated with water.
