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It’s that time of year, when the mercury starts to rise and the snow dissipates — and gobs of cigarette butts suddenly reappear.

Littering in Toronto is down, as is cigarette-butt littering. But a recent audit found that the latter accounts for the largest, and growing, chunk of small litter discarded on city streets.

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“It reminds us that this is still a problem,” said Councillor Mike Layton, a member of the public works and infrastructure committee, which asked staff to report back on how to reduce cigarette butt litter in Toronto by the end of year. “A lot of people are under the misguided impression that it’s biodegradable, and it’s not,” said Mr. Layton.

Toronto spends about $14-million a year collecting litter. That money goes toward litter vacs, and 60 people on “bag and broom” beats across the city, particularly the downtown core. Picking up cigarette butts, or ungluing them from the sidewalk, is one of the trickiest parts of the job, said Jim Harnum, the general manager of the city’s solid waste management division. The issue is worst in front of downtown office buildings, restaurants and bars.