They are doing regular litter picks on the second Sunday of the month between 11.30am to 1:30pm, where they will provide litter picking equipment.

The next litter pick is on Sunday August 14 at Natural bites, Leigh hill, from 10am.

According to the group, cigarette butts are the most common form of littering,

“People often think the butts are biodegradable but actually they are the most commonly polluted plastic. They can take 10 years to degrade but the harmful chemicals in the butts take much longer,” said Eileen Peck, from South East Essex Friends of the Earth.

According to research, as well as plastic, cigarette filters are comprised of thousands of chemical ingredients, including arsenic, lead and nicotine, all of which can inhibit plant growth.

They also routinely get into waterways, and eventually oceans. According to studies, just one cigarette butt per litre of water is highly toxic to fish.

“We recently picked up a load of butts that people had dropped around Southend hospital,” said Eileen.

“We are just doing our bit for our local community and the environment by helping to collect litter! You can do your bit too by putting cigarette butts in bins and not chucking them on the streets!”

There will be a Coffee afternoon from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday August 20 for anyone who is interested to drop in for a chat about environmental issues.  The venue is at the Livingroom next to the Phab cafe. 191 Leigh Road, Leigh, SS9 1JE

For more information and updates search ‘South East Essex Friends of the Earth’ on Facebook.