By Wu Hao-han (North-5 youth member and former No Butts captain, nature name “Black Hole”) · 2026.03.10

We first wanted to start this action on the last day of a camp, when we decided to do something more meaningful. We happened to hear a talk by the “No Butts 3.0” seniors, and so we chose to dive into the issue of cigarette butts.

At first we knew nothing about butts, only that they harm the environment. But after digging deeper we were shocked to learn that a cigarette butt contains over 4,000 toxic substances, 93 of them carcinogenic; a single butt can pollute 100 litres of water, and making one cigarette uses 3.7 litres of water. These numbers stunned us, so we decided to start by picking up butts.

We soon realised, though, that you can never finish “picking.” Tens of billions of butts are littered in Taiwan each year — even collecting millions is a drop in the ocean. So we turned to “reducing” at the source, launching creative, varied actions: international exchange, social media, art, street advocacy and competition entries.

I gained so much from these actions. My speaking used to be fragmented and hesitant, but after countless rounds of practice I can now express my views on butts clearly and fluently. Because we saw butts as a global problem, we pursued international exchange — my English improved rapidly, I even got to visit schools in Japan, and now I can advocate to the public in a non-native language, which feels like a real achievement.

I believe “No Butts” is a team blessed with the right timing, place and people. Every member is unique and indispensable: some excel at art and design, some are calm and wise, some take minutes at lightning speed. We cooperate almost without friction, which keeps our actions smooth and low-pressure.

Of course, the road was not always smooth. In our first year we interviewed a politician who told us to our faces: “Kids your age doing environmental issues is just fake — I don’t believe it.” We were deeply discouraged, but we did not give up; instead we acted even more, to prove that children really can change the world!

Today we have held two Children’s Action Forums; the second even welcomed Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming to hear young people’s voices. We have exchanged many times with legislators Chang Ya-ling and Lin Yueh-chin to shore up our knowledge of the law, and even served as youth representatives meeting the President. None of this would exist without real action. I am grateful I took part, and I have watched the world change, bit by bit, because of our effort.

(Originally published on the Wilderness Conservation Association blog: https://www.sow.org.tw/blog/20260310/43749)