I often wonder why cigarette butts seem to be exempt from the litter category. Some of my smoking friends seem to be stewards of the environment in many ways, but when they finish their cigarettes they thoughtlessly flick the butt onto the street. This always baffles me. When we were growing up we learned that littering was bad - in fact, it was drilled into our heads. I am shocked to see some of the people I grew up with litter. How can someone who shudders at the thought of tossing a used tissue on the ground pay no mind to littering when it comes to cigarette butts? I recently read that in last year's TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, more than 270,000 cigarette butts were picked up from Canadian shorelines - and that's just counting shoreline litter. Imagine how many cigarette butts grace the streets and sidewalks outside of bars or clubs? And, according to the city of Toronto website, cigarette butts can take up to 12 years to break down. I've voiced my opinion to my friends a number of times, but that doesn't really seem to work. Why do you think people disassociate tossing butts on the ground from littering? Read more: • 6 ways to quit smoking