Butt Flicker Hotline Resurrected!

and to celebrate, we are hosting a prees event on Thursday January 21st at 10am in Mission Beach...

MEDIA ADVISORY:

Surfrider Foundation Partners with CHP; Will Launch Upgraded Cigarette Litter Reporting Hotline at January 21 Press Conference

What: The Surfrider Foundation, San Diego County Chapter, in partnership with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Cal Fire, will launch a newly upgraded electronic reporting system of the Cigarette Litter Hotline on January 21 that the public can use to report butts flicked from vehicles,
(877) 211-2888 (BUTT).

The goal of the hotline is to educate the public and change behavior to reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter. Members of the public witnessing cigarette butt littering can call (877) 211-2888 (BUTT) to give information about people seen illegally discarding cigarette butts. People caught littering and reported will not receive a citation, but statistics on the littering will be kept, and litterers caught in the act will receive a CHP-issued warning letter detailing the witnessed action and warning them the dangers of cigarette butt litter, which includes damage to the environment and wildlife as well as the risk of fire.

Who: Surfrider Foundation, San Diego County Chapter in cooperation with the California Highway Patrol and Cal Fire

When: 10 - 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 21

Where: Community Room at the Wavehouse Athletic Club at Belmont Park in Mission Beach, 3115 Ocean Front Walk (Community Room located to the right of the entrance to The Plunge)

Interview opportunities: CHP Border Division Chief Gary Dominguez, Cal Fire San Diego Unit Chief Howard Windsor, local Surfrider Foundation representatives, local city leaders.

More info: The number of cigarette butts found on beaches is overwhelming -- typically accounting for nearly one in every three items collected during a beach cleanup. An estimated 2 billion cigarette butts are tossed out daily. Some 230,000 butts were collected in one day from California beaches. Butts cast onto the sidewalk and streets eventually end up in storm drains, which flow to streams, rivers, bays, lagoons and ultimately the ocean. When the butts get wet from rain or contact with a body of water, toxins gathered by the filter are released. Littered cigarette butts also are a fire risk and have caused significant forest fires in the past.

Media contacts: Ken David, ken@surfriderSD.org
Manase Mansur, manase@surfriderSD.org

Fish Don't Smoke!

Humorous reminder to Hold On To Your Butt! Thanks to Ian O'Roarty for producing this great video for the Surfrider Foundation.

Fish Don't Smoke - Surfrider Foundation from Surfrider Foundation San Diego C on Vimeo.