The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation wants smokers to be beach bums, not beach butts.
Spokesperson Karen Alexander says they've expanded their "Butt Free Beach" program, installing recyclable personal beach ashtrays at Canatara Park.
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The Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up found 45 per cent of items removed from the Lake Huron shore last year were cigarette butts and related litter.
Alexander says many people don't realize that cigarette butts are made of a non biodegradeable fibrous plastic that, over time, break down into microscopic pieces of plastic.
She says each filter contains up to 160 toxic chemicals, 60 of which are known carcinogens that leach into the sand where children play.
