Why Prevent Cigarette Litter?

Cigarette litter is a real challenge for communities across the U.S. Lack of awareness, lack of ash receptacles, and ordinances that move smokers outdoors all increase cigarette littering. Individuals who would never litter beverage cans or paper packaging typically do not consider tossing cigarette butts on the ground littering. Dropping partially-smoked cigarettes, cigarette butts, matches, lighters, and packaging to the ground is littering. And it’s adding up.
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. While cigarette litter may seem small, it adds up to a big impact on the places we live

Consider for example that:
- Cigarette litter is unsightly. It accumulates in many places, gathering in corners, gutters, and outside doorways and bus shelters. Increasing amounts of litter in a business district and other signs of disorder create a sense that no one cares about the community.
- Cigarette litter is 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 poses a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake filters for food.
- Cigarette Litter is costly to residents and businesses. 
Cigarette litter requires additional sidewalk and street sweeping, greenway and park maintenance, storm drain cleaning, and increased maintenance of storm water filters. Business owners also bear the expense of cigarette litter clean-up around their establishments including entrances, exits, and adjacent sidewalks and parking lots.
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Strategies to Prevent Cigarette Litter

Strategies to Prevent Cigarette Litter
Two years of field testing by Keep America Beautiful affiliates in over a dozen U.S. cities have found that cigarette litter can be reduced as much as 46% by implementing four strategies:
1 - Enforce Anti-Litter Laws which includes empowering local police and other law enforcement agencies to target cigarette litter.
2 - Install Ash Receptacles. Ash receptacles, especially at transition points, are a key strategy to help smokers change their cigarette littering behavior.
3 - Encourage the Use of Pocket Ashtrays. A pocket ashtray is a small, portable ashtray that fits into a pocket, briefcase, or purse. These allow smokers the opportunity to be personally responsible for proper disposal of cigarettes, even when they’re not in an area with available ash receptacles.  

(Palm Beach County residents only)
FOR A FREE POCKET ASHTRAY - Send a self-addressed envelope with 2 first class stamps to:
Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, Inc.
c/o Solid Waste Authority
7501 N. Jog Road
West Palm Beach, Florida 33412
 
4 - Change Behavior Through Public Education. Public education is an important component of changing attitudes and behaviors. Most smokers simply do not realize that littering cigarette butts has an environmental impact—and may earn them a fine. Raising awareness is the first step to changing behavior.

For more information on preventing cigarette litter and grants to start your own program, visit
http://www.preventcigarettelitter.org