Donal Hickey: Cigarette butts and single-use vapes could ruin our beaches

Vapes are made of materials such as plastic, rubber and metal that don’t break down naturally, and 1.3 million single-use vapes are thrown away every week

Clean Coasts and volunteers from Keep Our Beaches Clean installed informational stickers on cigarette bins on Old Head Beach to ask visitors to dispose of their cigarette butts properly. Courtesy of CleanCoasts

Most people I know who once smoked have given up the habit. The recent census found that smokers now form just 13% of the population, compared to around 40% in the 1970s.