Cigarette Litter Awareness Campaign
On February 7, 2009, nineteen Keep Pearland Beautiful volunteers and twenty community service
workers continued the attack on cigarette litter. For the 5th year, the “Don’t Leave Your Butt
Behind” cigarette litter awareness campaign targeted intersections or “transition points” in our
city. In all nine intersections were cleaned of cigarette litter. It took less than two hours to
pick up 37,100 BUTTS!! Last year 25 volunteers picked up 25,340 butts in a 3 hour period, which for
the second year was an increase over the previous year. Special thanks to the InterAct club, KPB
board members and citizens of Pearland for coming out that day. We all got a great workout squatting
to pick up butts!! The counting was made easy with the containers already marked by KPB board member
Helen Beckman. Ms. Beckman , an avid anti-cigarette litter volunteer, actually counted out butts into
a milk jug and marked the jug at 100 intervals.
Volunteers were sent in teams with a captain to each of the nine intersections. Before the jugs
were dumped into trash bags, the team captain recorded the number of butts on a tally sheet. Keep
Pearland Beautiful realizes we will never pick-up all the butts in Pearland; our goal is to create
awareness of this growing “micro-litter” problem. KPB also offers pocket ashtrays, free of charge,
for any one that wants to stop by our office and pick one up. Our Pearland businesses could also
help tackle the “butt” problem by placing ash receptacles at the doorways of their business.
To show our appreciation, each volunteer received a special gift of a sweatshirt with Keep Pearland
Beautiful embroidered on it. Thanks to all volunteers for helping Keep Pearland Beautiful on our 5th
Annual Cigarette Litter Awareness Day. Questions or comments may be sent to
cowles@keeppearlandbeautiful.org.
From the Keep America Beautiful website comes some interesting facts on cigarette litter:
Americans smoked fewer cigarettes in 2005 than at any time since 1951, yet cigarette butts remain the most littered item-in the U.S. and across the globe. Source:
Clean VA Waterways
http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/cigarettelitterhome.html.
Dropping cigarette butts, matches, lighters, and packaging to the ground is littering.
Why do smokers litter? Mostly, it’s limited ash receptacles and lack of awareness about the environmental impact. New ordinances are also moving more smokers outdoors. In Pearland we have a smoking ban, but there seems to be some confusion about where a business can place an ash receptacle.
Here’s why cigarette litter matters: it's unsightly, costly to clean up, and harmful to waterways and wildlife.
Get the facts: When it comes to cigarette litter, we all pay.
Residents and businesses “pick up” the tab. Cigarette litter has to be cleaned up. This requires additional sidewalk and street sweeping, greenway and park maintenance, storm drain cleaning, and increased maintenance of storm water filters. And business owners bear the expense of cigarette litter cleanup around entrances, exits, sidewalks, and parking lots.
Community quality-of-life suffers. Not paying attention to quality-of-life issues can result in a decline in a city’s foot traffic, tourism, business development, and housing. Focusing on small improvements, like reducing cigarette litter, creates safer and more economically vibrant communities.
A cigarette butt dropped to the ground seems insignificant. But
follow that butt as it’s carried off by rain into storm drains and
eventually to streams and rivers. It now adds up to a big impact on
the places we live.
Cigarette litter creates blight. It accumulates in gutters, and outside doorways and bus shelters. Increasing amounts of litter in a business district or recreation area create a sense that no one cares, leading to more community disorder.
Cigarette butts don’t disappear. About 95% of cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic which does not quickly degrade and can persist in the environment. Source:
http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/cigarettelitterhome.html.
Filters are harmful to waterways and wildlife. About 18% of litter, traveling primarily through storm water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, and waterways. Cigarette litter can also pose a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake filters for food.
According to an Australian EPA survey, three quarters of respondents say that littering is a 'very important' or 'extremely important' environmental issue. Yet, 56% of debris found in the U.S. originated from land-based activities such as picnics, festivals, sports, and days at the beach. Litter washed from streets, parking lots, and storm drains also contributed to this category of debris. Source:
Ocean Conservancy, July 24, 2006.
Only 10% of cigarette butts are properly deposited in ash receptacles-the least likely item to be placed in a receptacle. Source:
Beverage Industry Environment Council. Community Change Pty Ltd. Understanding Littering Behavior in Australia, June 1997.
Why do many smokers litter?
Smokers discount the impact. A 2008 survey of over 1,000 smokers found that 35% toss five or more cigarette butts per pack on the ground. Source: iQ Research & Consulting, Keep America Beautiful Pocket Ashtray Study, January 2008. Because a cigarette butt is small, smokers tend to overlook the consequences of littering. Source:
McGregor Marketing for Keep Australia Beautiful, 1998.
Cigarette litter research in Australia found that many smokers:
- Don’t believe littering their cigarette butts is inappropriate behavior. Some believe they’re acting responsibly by dropping cigarettes to the ground and stepping on them to extinguish them.
- Consider dropping butts into gutters or storm drains a safe way to extinguish a cigarette. Blame their littering on a lack of well-placed bins for cigarette butts. Over 80% of smokers said they would properly dispose of their butts if suitable bins were available. Source:
Sweeney Research for Tobacco Information Centre and Keep South Australia Beautiful, 2000.
- Blame their littering on a lack of well-placed bins for cigarette butts. Over 80% of smokers said they would properly dispose of their butts if suitable bins were available.
Most cigarette littering happens at “transition points.” These are areas where a smoker must extinguish a cigarette before proceeding, such as outside retail stores, hotels, office buildings, and at bus shelters and train platforms. Messages about cigarette butt litter and ash receptacles at transition points are an important catalyst to changing behavior.
Join KPB volunteers on February 7, 2009 at 8:00 am at our office, 2947 E. Broadway. The first 30 volunteers will receive a special gift for helping with the attack on cigarette litter in Pearland. Comments may be sent to
cowles@keeppearlandbeautiful.org or call the office at 281-652-1659.
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