10 Surprising Items You Must Never Pour Down the Drain

Tobacco Butts

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Cigarette filters swell like mini sponges, trap grime, and release a cocktail of toxins—nicotine, arsenic, heavy metals—whenever they touch water. When tossed into street gutters, they wash into storm drains and oceans, ranking among the most common shoreline litter worldwide.

Each filter can poison small fish or birds that mistake it for food. Carry a pocket ashtray, stub out cigarettes fully, and dispose of the cooled butts in a sealed bin. This small habit shields plumbing systems and marine ecosystems at once.