As an ex-smoker, I also used to just toss cigarette butts anywhere without thought. Decades after quitting it's still surprising to me that I ever thought this was normal (I've never, otherwise, been a big litterer).
At least when I began smoking in my early teens this was just what smokers did. When you were done smoking you just tossed the butt on the ground and stomped it out. I remember being annoyed when someone scolded me for littering, at the time it somehow felt different but I admitted the logic didn't quite work out.
I suspect a lot of this behavior originated from behaviors established before filtered cigarettes were the norm. Just tobacco rolled in thin paper, especially when burnt to the end before it burns your fingers, will likely break down after the first heavy rain. Filtered butts however, hang around for a long time.
At least when I began smoking in my early teens this was just what smokers did. When you were done smoking you just tossed the butt on the ground and stomped it out. I remember being annoyed when someone scolded me for littering, at the time it somehow felt different but I admitted the logic didn't quite work out.
I suspect a lot of this behavior originated from behaviors established before filtered cigarettes were the norm. Just tobacco rolled in thin paper, especially when burnt to the end before it burns your fingers, will likely break down after the first heavy rain. Filtered butts however, hang around for a long time.