News
Join us for the Great Butt Hunt this November!
Monday, 14 Oct, 2024
Cigarette butts have no place on our shores. That's why Sea Shepherd Australia is excited to partner with No More Butts for the Great Butt Hunt this November, to collect cigarette butts and collate critical data on what we find.
From the 9th to the 17th of November, help clean our shores and contribute our campaign for a strong plastic treaty agreement at the UN INC5 conference being held this December.
The Great Butt Hunt all began last year, upon realising that cigarette butts were consistently the number-one item collected during our community clean-ups.
To bring national attention to this issue and educate the public, we teamed up with No More Butts to host two huge events in popular Schoolies locations. Taking place after Schoolies on the Gold Coast QLD and Mornington Peninsula VIC, we collected over 20,000 cigarette butts from Australia's shores.
This year, we plan on collecting even more butts from more locations across the country - and we need your help.
Join us for the second annual Great Butt Hunt this November!
“We are encouraged that the NSW Government is leading the charge with a response to these toxic plastic parcels, having just reported that they plan to work with State and Commonwealth governments to take action by 2027. Globally, the fifth meeting for the Plastics Treaty negotiations will take place in November. Clean-up actions and data such as the Great Butt Hunt will help arm Australia and like-minded governments with information to ensure cigarette filters are included as a problematic and avoidable plastic item in the Treaty.”
Shannon Mead - Executive Director of No More Butts.
Cigarette butt litter is the number one type of trash found globally and during Sea Shepherd community clean-ups. According to research undertaken by WWF, Of the 17.75 billion cigarettes consumed in Australia each year, between 5.9 and 8.9 billion end up as litter.
Once littered, these non-degradeable items leach toxic chemicals into the environment - around a third of which chemicals are acutely or chronically toxic to aquatic species. Turtles, fish, whales and birds have all been known to ingest cigarette butts - leaving them at risk for poisoning, and death.
We need to ensure these toxic, single-use plastic items do not pose any further threats to the environment and wildlife.
You can be a part of the movement - Go hunting in your area!
It’s an easy and fun activity to do at your local beach or park—and it’s for everyone! Here’s how to get involved:
- Get a suitable container or a glass jar
- Wear gloves (because butts stink!)
- Head to your local beach or park area
- Invite some mates to join you (optional but highly encouraged!)
- Collect cigarette butts in the area
- Count them and submit your data via the button below
Don’t worry if you can’t do it on your own! Scroll down to find Marine Debris Crew events in your town and be part of the action!