Cockroaches are Dying of Cancer

A friend sent me a photo of a sign that was posted in a local bar and grille in London, England. It said,

"Please do not throw cigarette ends on the floor.

The cockroaches are dying of Cancer."

At first I laughed. But as I considered the tens-of-thousands of cigarette butts that cover the sidewalks, streets, alleys and gutters in Huntington, I became more somber about the implications of that message.

But ......... if our citizens and visitors choose to risk their health by smoking, why should they feel free to throw their cigarette waste down so that someone else has to pick it up and dispose of it properly? If we have any chance, at all, of cleaning up our city - the smokers are going to have to mend their ways? If they are intent on killing themselves, would that they be more considerate during the process. The earth is not their ashtray. Retain your cigarette butts and treat them for what they are - solid waste; trash; garbage.

Better yet .... do yourself a favor ... quit! There are local programs that can help you withdraw from a deadly habit.

In the meantime, you smokers take a good look around our city. A major portion of the street litter in our city is the result of the random acts of smokers throwing down cigarette waste. Do the right thing.