Smoking Related Litter
Why did the City Council give away personal ashtrays?
Research shows that an environmentally aware smoker (who goes to great lengths to dispose of other litter properly) will, without thinking, throw their cigarette butt onto the pavement. This seemingly contradictory behaviour is because most smokers make no connection between dropping a cigarette butt and littering. But it is littering and the government has made this clear in The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005.
The City Council gave away thousands of personal ashtrays to smokers during October 2004 to help to reduce the problem. The ashtrays are a convenient way to dispose of your cigarette butts until you get home or find a bin. They clip onto a belt or slip easily into a pocket or handbag and they're airtight so all the smells stay inside. The ashtrays are made from heat resistant plastic and should last about six months before needing replacement.
Personal ashtrays are available to buy from any City Council One Stop Shop (priced £1.50) or online from www.buttsout.co.uk
Did you know?
- In the UK, 120 tons of cigarette related litter are discarded on our streets every day
- Cigarettes account for over 40 per cent of street litter
- Cigarette filters can take up to 12 years to degrade
- Cigarette butts are harmful to birds and wildlife
- In a Local Environmental Quality Survey carried out by ENCAMS in 2002, cigarette related litter was found in 77 per cent of all locations surveyed
- If you litter with cigarette butts you can face a £75.00 fixed penalty fine.
"Cigarette butts" in the environment is a litter issue - not a smoking issue, but clearly it is only smokers who cause this type of litter. Help yourself avoid a fine and help to keep our environment clean. By the way, if you're a motorist and a smoker, your car is fitted with an ashtray - don't use the street as one.
Remember - It's your city, don't mess it up