ButtsOut a massive success
Tuesday May 4, 2010
The streets of Hammersmith & Fulham have seen a massive 40 per cent reduction in cigarette litter as a result of a council campaign.
H&F Council promoted personal ‘ButtsOut’ ashtrays in late January and February in a bid to encourage smokers not to drop their butts on the pavement.
The trendy orange boxes, were sold for £1 at numerous retailers and pubs across the borough and in addition, street cleaners from the council’s waste contractor Serco blitzed the streets to make them cleaner than ever before.
Preliminary results of the campaign have now been verified by Keep Britain Tidy and show that there is 40 per cent less cigarette litter on the streets now than there was before the campaign launched.
Prior to the campaign, officers counted 1,744 cigarette butts in test sites across the borough. Once the campaign ended, officers went back to the same areas and counted only 1,038 butts.
Lyn Carpenter, Director of Residents’ Services, said: “We are thrilled with these initial results but there is much more to be done if we are to rid the streets of Hammersmith & Fulham of cigarette litter completely. This campaign has also been successful in educating people that dropping their butts on the pavement is antisocial and completely unacceptable.
“We will not allow the streets to be treated as a giant ashtray. If you still plan to drop your butts on the floor then, be prepared to pay a £75 fine.”
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is the first local authority in London to actively promote ‘ButtsOut’ ashtrays, which are produced by corporate and social responsibility consultants CSR Solutions. The success of the scheme means that others are likely to follow suit as the capital seeks the cleanest streets possible in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games. A pan-London campaign along similar lines may also be in the offing.
Ginette Unsworth, Head of Marketing, Communications & Events at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Cigarette litter is the country’s worst litter problem and the sheer size of it is shameful and disgusting. Smokers are treating our streets like a giant ashtray and the rest of us are suffering. People need to take responsibility for their rubbish and use a bin or a personal ashtray.
We all need to work together to clean up our communities and we fully support any initiative that enables smokers to act more responsibly, helping to reduce the problem of cigarette litter on our streets.”
Charlie Hamshaw-Thomas, Principal of CSR Solutions said: “We are delighted with these preliminary results but it is important that we continue to educate people that cigarette butts are litter and they must be disposed of responsibly. We have enjoyed working with the Council and Keep Britain Tidy to deliver such a successful campaign."
The ButtsOut personal ashtray is a quirkily designed box for cigarette ends that fits perfectly in the hand and snugly in the pocket for use outside when an ashtray is not to hand.
At only 99 pence, it is fire resistant, easy to use and truly personal. When a lit cigarette is placed inside, it’s immediately extinguished and when full, the container is easy to empty and clean, ready for use again.
While the council urges smokers to buy a ButtsOut personal ashtray, it is continuing to proactively seek out persistent butt droppers and litter louts. Highly visible proactive ‘beats’ are inspecting every street in the borough – at least once every ten working days – and key routes are checked daily meaning there is an increased chance that litter bugs who do not get the message will be penalised.
Officers from the council, in partnership with the Police’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams regularly challenge persistent litter-dropping offenders, and have the power issuing Fixed Penalty Notices of £75 for the misdemeanour under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In 2008-2009, around 850 people were fined for cigarette litter offences. If litterbugs refuse to pay the fine they can even end up with a criminal record.
If you want to quit smoking, call 020 8741 8314.
