They’re considered tiny trash, but cigarette butts are the number one form of picked-up litter in the world. In fact, 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded every year, according to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

There’s a misconception that they biodegrade and disappear. But cigarette butts a Spectrum News 1 crew saw were disappearing into storm drains.

The plastic that’s in cigarette butts is known as cellulose acetate and degrades over years into the environment. According to EarthDay.com, cigarette filters, or the plastic part of butts, can take up to 10 years to completely degrade, and the chemicals they release can remain in the environment for many more years beyond the life of the cigarette butt itself.

As these break down, heavy metals and carcinogenic substances leach into soil and water.

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center officials are asking people to be mindful of where they put their cigarette butts, saying it has an impact far greater than we might all realize.

"Once they're there on the ground, they typically end up washing down storm drains, and getting into our water," said Jenna Brinkworth, Roswell Park community engagement coordinator.

Microplastics from plastic pollution have been found in humans, according to multiple studies cited by the National Institutes of Health.

This year’s Earth Day theme is "Planet vs. Plastics," according to EarthDay.org.

Vaping products have plastic components that can be recycled, depending on where you live. Rochester, for example, has a safe disposal program for e-cigarettes.

It is estimated that 4 1/2 vapes are thrown away every second, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. They have batteries and what’s known as e-juice, so there's not believed to be any great option to dispose of them.