Fag Butts - are they Art or Litter?

Now here in the wellness centre we’ve always tried to have a calm look at the whole smoking issue. In response to those who say smoking is a choice not an addiction we have tried to find some advantages to smoking. 

Given all the negative evidence  it is a hard job but possible positives were found. Of most immediate use to students is that smoking may help if there is an outbreak of zombies or if you are kidnapped by a foreign intelligence agency (for details see Handy Tips for Fighting Zombies )

But what about litter caused by cigarettes. On the positive side cigarette butts could constitute a form of readymade art which has something profound to say about urban decay,  alienation, the clash of nature and homo sapiens…  

NUI Galway flower patch. Is it art or litter?

The problem being that art needs to be unique and singular in order to make any impact, whereas according to Litter.ie fag butts make up 48.62 per cent of Ireland’s litter.  

But whether fag doubts are art or not, there is another problem with them. As well as damaging insects and plants, the toxins inside a cigarette butt pollute the water we drink and the water fish swim in 

Yes it is a sad fact; all those cigarette butts are going to kill Nemo, the cute clown fish who suffered all sorts of scary adventures and near death experiences before being reunited with his dad.  So art or litter, before you drop a cigarette butt take a moment and remember Nemo…

For more on fag butts in Galway check out No Butts