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830 CIGARETTE BUTTS COLLECTED IN ONE HOUR AS PART OF WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY

By Holly Smith

June 01, 2017

Daytona Beach, Fla. - Thanks to nearly a dozen staff from the Florida Department of Health (DOH) in Volusia County, 830 cigarette butts are on their way to the landfill. Staff volunteered less than an hour of their time May 31 to pick up cigarette litter in parking lots and grassy areas at DOH locations in Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. The cleanup was in recognition of World No Tobacco Day.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2017 is "Tobacco - a threat to development." Wednesday's cleanup is one example of steps government and the public can take to promote health and development, according to the World Health Organization's website.

Up to 10 billion of the 15 billion cigarettes sold daily are disposed in the environment, according to WHO. Cigarette butts account for 30–40 percent of all items collected in coastal and urban clean-ups.

DOH-Volusia provides support and resources to organizations wanting to adopt stricter tobacco policies or offer tobacco cessation programs. For more information, please contact Kristen Mialki, tobacco program manager, at 386-274-0601 or .

For free help to quit smoking, call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW or visit TobaccoFreeFlorida.com.

world tobacco day
Florida Department of Health Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Kayla Norwood counts some of the 830 cigarette butts May 31 in recognition of World No Tobacco Day.

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About the Florida Department of Health

The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

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