CBS Reports that a study led by Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge found that cigarette butts are an even bigger problem than plastic straws.
The report found that cigarette butts left in grass and soil cause stunted plant growth and that cigarette butts are the most pervasive man-made contaminant and most littered item worldwide.
CBS says researchers found that this waste cuts down the germination success of grass 10 percent and shortens the shoot length of a clover by up to 28 percent.
They say most cigarette butts contain a filter made of cellulose acetate fibre, type of bioplastic that is not biodegradable and can cause the same damage to plant growth as un-smoked cigarettes.
CBS says this problem extends into the Earth's oceans.
They say The Conversation reported that cigarette butts comprise 30 to 40 percent of all litter found in coastal and urban litter clean-ups since the 1980's.
CBS says cigarette filters are not biodegradable and could take years to breakdown, even accumulating at the bottom of the sea.
They say some have suggested banning filters outright.
Earlier this year, California lawmaker Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced a bill seeking to outlaw cigarette filters in an attempt to reduce tobacco product waste.
(CBS News contributed to this report.)
