Volunteers pick up thousands of cigarette butts on Zuid-Holland beach

Volunteers for the North Sea Foundation's large beach clean-up campaign picked up 2,542 cigarette butts on the beach between Hoek van Holland and Monster on Saturday. The 85 volunteers collected a total of 191 kilograms of waste on this stage of the weeks-long clean-up, NU.nl reports.

Of all types of waste, cigarette filters are the most common on tourist beaches and the third most common on beaches worldwide. The butts consist of 95 percent cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, and contain harmful substances. A single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 8 liters of water. Marine mammals, birds and fish also often mistake cigarette butts for food. 

The North Sea Foundation calls on beach visitors to always throw their cigarette butts in an ashtray for a clean beach and a healthy sea. 

The large beach clean-up campaign started on August 1st and will end on August 15th. During this period, around 3 thousand volunteers will pick up trash along the Dutch coast. The final results of the beach clean-up will be announced in Zandvoort on August 15th.