E Magazine reports that indoor smoking bans have unexpected negative environmental consequences.  Smokers are sent out without any new provision for what they’re going to do with their litter, and smokers (as someone who’s chewed a pack or two in her time, I admit, I’m no better) tend to be flick-happy with their butts in the first place.  Result, according to anecdote (which I’ve also observed myself) is a lot more litter which takes between one and ten years to biodegrade.  Worsted Witch notes a disturbing statistic indicating this is no small amount of trash: it is estimated that cigarette butts account for 50 percent of all litter in the world.  Also, animals eat the butts and suffer various ill effects, from indigestion to suffocation.  The Witch proposes a heavy fine for those who toss their butts in the street.  Yay, Nay or other?  [GT]

COMMENTARY: Indoor Smoking Bans [via Indoor Smoking Ban: Smoke’s on the Environment? at Worsted Witch]

More Yay or Nay

[Don't forget to vote at Trashionista, Bridalwave, Corrie Blog, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny too!]

Exhibiting at the Science Museum right now is a driverless hybrid bus that you hail with your mobile. It seats up to 24 people and follows its route based on magnets embedded in the pathway. It uses considerably less energy than normal cars and buses, and costs half as much as a normal bus does to operate, since it has no driver – making it theoretically possible to double the number of buses available, especially in remote areas. However, since it has no driver, there have been glitches: an unmanned bus in France ran over a sleeping dog and killed it. Commenters also express concern about vandalism, thuggery and other unsavory behaviour taking over the buses. Can these logistical problems be solved easily enough to reap the benefits of expanded public transport at reduced environmental impact? Vote yay or nay! [GT]

The driverless bus you hail with your mobile [via BornRich]

[Don't forget to vote at Trashionista, Bridalwave, Corrie Blog, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny too!]