It's one of those things so mundane and commonplace, most of us probably don't even notice when it happens, let alone get worked up over it.

I don't know why it bugged me so much when I saw it again the other day.

I was driving on the 10 Freeway and watching as the driver ahead of me and his passenger casually flicked cigarette ashes out their windows as they chatted. Then, as they finished their smokes, first one and then the other tossed their butts onto the road.

This town is a lot of things. One thing it's not is an ashtray. But this got me wondering: How many cigarette butts get littered every year, and what does that do to the environment?

And what can we do about it?