She doesn't mention it, but I've read that at some tobacco shops "in the day," sold tobacco prepacked in clay pipes. So, it was natural to just toss the pipe after smoking. I think that I read this regarding some riverbank in the Northeast US where tobaccos and Native American made clay pipes were prolific and cheap. But, it makes sense that they would clog easily also, since this was pre-pipecleaner.
Could you imagine trying to carry a clay pipe on horseback or carriage without breaking it?