One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water

Oddly enough, the first time I saw this type of sign was on a super busy beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico this winter. I wonder why I haven't seen more signs like this when I travel to waterways: One cigarette butt contaminates up to 50 liters of water. In Spanish, una colilla de de cigarro contamina hasta 50 litros de agua. The sign was posted by a local restaurant. 

I wonder why cigarettes are still allowed anywhere anymore. They are banned from more and more public places world wide. Bravo! I wonder why cigarettes are even produced when you can wear a toxic patch or chew toxic gum and not bother anyone or anything with this disgusting, toxic habit.

But I do know one thing, now when I make travel plans, the first thing I will look for are completely smoke-free resorts. The resort we stayed at in Mexico did not allow smoking in rooms nor in the dining areas, lobbies, gym, etc. Even though there were open areas where people could smoke, this type of all-inclusive resort that restricted smoking in so many areas did not seem to be popular with smokers. 

But, the smokers are always on the beach in the lawn chairs leaving their butts behind. 
I saw tons of cigarette butts littered in the sand but spared you the messy shot. You'd rather see the beach and the ocean, right?  The resorts are constantly cleaning up the mess. 

Oddly enough, with all the crowds on the Playa del Carmen beaches, I did not see one person walking along the beach smoking. No smoking on the ferry to cross over to Cozumel, and no one was smoking in the line-up to board.
Bravo to resorts that are cleaning up by not allowing smoking. And, bravo to anyone who kicks the habit or doesn't pick it up. Now let's see when cigarettes are completely banned and no longer produced. 

I won't talk about plastic on the beaches. I picked up what I saw each day in the surf zone. I was rewarded on the third day by finding a nice pair of sunglasses bouncing around in the surf. Staff clean the beaches around the resorts daily, but the wild beaches are a sad mess of people garbage. Depositing more garbage cans might help.  

The BaffinPaddler

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