Spring Break
Where's your butt going?
Lauren Collins
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Opinion
Not all students at ECU are smokers, but it would be great if the majority of smokers acknowledged that other people share the air with them. ECU implemented the 25-foot smoking policy in 2007, yet smokers still linger right at the entrances of buildings. Aside from walking through the cancerous cloud of those who light up, people are forced to wade through the cigarette butts that accumulate around the doors of most campus buildings as they make their way inside.
If people are clearly going to ignore the rule and flick their filtered ends throughout the campus, it would be nice to have a designated place to put them, as opposed to throwing them all over the campus grounds. There may be a handful of people who put their cigarettes out and then place them in a trashcan, but the rest of those Pirates who choose to smoke could care less where their butts go.
I actually spent time kicking cigarette butts into a pile, as I smoked one myself, during a night class break. Because there was no place to put them, I dropped mine with the pile and shuffled them closer to the trashcan. I figured it would at least make the job of the next campus cleaner slightly easier. Had there been a pit of sand or the familiar tin can, I would have gladly placed the cigarette butts there. There may be a few remaining places for butt dumping, but I am starting to believe the ground is just the best place for most.
There are a few dorms with the small black boxes for cigarette butts. Ironically, they are located by the doors of these buildings, so they can't be used efficiently. Apparently the sign suggesting the boxes are not for trash is not clear enough for the ignorant folks who think a piece or two will be OK. Of course, why should everyone follow the rules? There's just a sign for fun.
We should definitely have more places for dumping our butts. After all, cigarette butts are said to take 18 months to 10 years to degrade.
Currently, 19 states prohibit smoking in most public places, including restaurants and some bars. These states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont. Other states are beginning to take similar action, but North Carolina is currently not listed for the change. Since tobacco is a key cash crop in the Tarheel state, it doesn't surprise me that we haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet.
If people are clearly going to ignore the rule and flick their filtered ends throughout the campus, it would be nice to have a designated place to put them, as opposed to throwing them all over the campus grounds. There may be a handful of people who put their cigarettes out and then place them in a trashcan, but the rest of those Pirates who choose to smoke could care less where their butts go.
I actually spent time kicking cigarette butts into a pile, as I smoked one myself, during a night class break. Because there was no place to put them, I dropped mine with the pile and shuffled them closer to the trashcan. I figured it would at least make the job of the next campus cleaner slightly easier. Had there been a pit of sand or the familiar tin can, I would have gladly placed the cigarette butts there. There may be a few remaining places for butt dumping, but I am starting to believe the ground is just the best place for most.
There are a few dorms with the small black boxes for cigarette butts. Ironically, they are located by the doors of these buildings, so they can't be used efficiently. Apparently the sign suggesting the boxes are not for trash is not clear enough for the ignorant folks who think a piece or two will be OK. Of course, why should everyone follow the rules? There's just a sign for fun.
We should definitely have more places for dumping our butts. After all, cigarette butts are said to take 18 months to 10 years to degrade.
Currently, 19 states prohibit smoking in most public places, including restaurants and some bars. These states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont. Other states are beginning to take similar action, but North Carolina is currently not listed for the change. Since tobacco is a key cash crop in the Tarheel state, it doesn't surprise me that we haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
another smoker
posted 10/08/08 @ 10:05 AM EST
I totally agree. We have such a nice-looking campus, would it hurt to replace the ashtrays on the trash bins? I have seen only 2 on the entire campus that still have the ashtrays attached and I use them when I can. (Continued…)
Billy
posted 10/08/08 @ 3:41 PM EST
Well that was ECU's bright idea to enforce the 25ft rule take away all the ash trays to send a message. How stupid is that apparently they just want to make the whole campus an ash tray. (Continued…)
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