ESCANABA — On April 22, more than one billion people from over 190 countries will participate in Earth Day 2019, making it the largest civic-focused day of action in the world. The focus of Earth Day 2019 is protecting our species.

As part of that effort locally, Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties is supporting Earth Day to call attention to the harmful effects that tobacco litter has on both the environment and on public health.

Cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded waste worldwide, and cigarette butts are not biodegradable. Tobacco-related litter can harm both small children and wildlife when it is ingested. Worldwide, about 4.5 trillion cigarettes are littered each year, and cigarettes make up more than one-third — nearly 38 percent — of all collected litter.

For help with quitting tobacco use, talk with your healthcare provider, contact the Michigan Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-784-8669, or visit https://michigan.quitlogix.org/en-US/. For more information about Earth Day visit www.earthday.org