Cigarette litter issue smolders
As a cigarette smoker, I want to commend David Lazarus for his article (“Fuming over cigarette butt litter,” Nov. 30) regarding self-centered smokers who litter their butts wherever they feel like it.
In public places, I make it a point to extinguish my cigarette and discard the butt in a trash can. The same applies to my automobile; my butts are never thrown out onto the highway.
We smokers owe society cleanliness and courtesy. Aside from a hefty fine, a good punishment would be mandatory weekend litter cleanup in our parks and sidewalks for three months.
Stephen Roos
Los Angeles
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When I was 6, I was caught throwing a candy wrapper out of the car window. Big mistake, as my mother firmly believed that every person should pick up one piece of refuse more than they discard each day.
She brought the car to a screeching halt and made me pick up all the litter along the side of the road. It seemed at the time to be at least a half-mile, but was more likely a couple of hundred feet.
That was a lesson I never forgot (I’m now age 74), and I have never thrown out litter since then.
Arthur Carden
California City, Calif.
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The next time some idiot flicks a cancer-stick out the window, call the Surfrider Foundation’s Cigarette Butt Litter Hotline (877) 211-2888 and leave a message with details about the vehicle, location and time of the incident. As their website says, they “work with local law enforcement to make sure drivers are reminded that littering is against the law and bad for the environment.” I have the number on speed dial, and I get a lot of satisfaction out of using it.
Tracy Rubert
Long Beach
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Contrary to what Mr. Lazarus thinks, L.A. is an ashtray. It’s also a garbage can, junkyard, newspaper crate and beer can/bottle recycling depot. So while he’s ruminating on more government fines to control people’s behavior, why not just outlaw anything that makes a mess? And do we really need newspapers now that we have the Internet? Based on declining readership, probably not for long. But then we would not be able to open The Times’ business section and read one man’s rant on cigarette butts.
Bill Fallon
Newport Beach