One good Samaritan took time out of their busy life to pick up litter at a local park.
Million Little Pieces (@millionlittlepieces) is a TikTok page with the goal of picking up 1 million pieces of trash. After nearly a year of documenting their efforts, the account has cleaned up over 200,000 pieces of litter. In one clip, they show how long it takes for them to pick up 100 cigarette butts in just a small wooded area.
@millionlittlepieces I finally bought a pair of reusable non cloth gloves 😅 Someone asked for a counting video so here you go 😘 this is what my lives are like. The last time I posted a time lapse video like this it was flagged for inappropriate content so... DISCLOSURE: I do not promote the use of tobacco products. This is simply a video cleaning litter. #cleantheplanet #quitlitterin #stoplittering #cleaning #recycle #earthdayeveryday #nature #parks #florida #trash #garbage #environment #litteringistrashy #fypage #fyp #cleantok ♬ Leave (Get Out) - JoJo
They show their progress at an accelerated speed, but their efforts only take three minutes and 44 seconds. It's truly astounding how many discarded cigarettes are in the video, and their effort to keep their neighborhood clean is admirable.
Litter in the United States is a huge issue. Keep America Beautiful conducted a survey in 2021 about trash across the country. They found "nearly 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways." Their research means that there are "152 items for each U.S. resident."
One of the biggest issues with trash being discarded improperly is that as it breaks down, it can lead to microplastics and other pollutants making their way into our environment. NOAA wrote, "Microplastics are small plastic pieces or fibers that are smaller than 5 mm in size, or about the size of a pencil eraser and smaller."
Based on this video, it may not surprise you to learn that cigarette butts are the most common plastic waste. EarthDay.org wrote, "Cigarette butts are actually the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting our global environment."
Viewers were thankful for this creator's efforts to reduce this massive problem.
One person wrote, "Thank you so much for doing this!!"
Someone else reminded us, "Many don't realize that cigarette butts are not biodegradable!!"
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy an induction stove?
🔘 Healthier indoor air 🏠
🔘 Superior cooking results 🍳
🔘 Helping the planet 🌎
🔘 I wouldn't buy an induction stove 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Another commenter suggested, "Cigarette butts should be made of the same stuff paper straws are made of, and they will disintegrate before the cig is gone."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
