Don't be a tosser
We're asking our local community to keep cigarette butts off the streets, and out of our waterways.
AlburyCity are working with our community to help reduce cigarette butt litter and littering behaviour in Albury CBD and Lavington. We will be installing educational signage, directional stencils and stickers at one designated smoking area in Lavington to highlight the cigarette bin for a three month period this summer, and providing ongoing education to the community on the importance of keeping cigarette butts off the streets.
Our aim is 100% of cigarette butts in the bin.
Why reduce cigarette butt litter?
Approximately 1.32 billion butts are littered in NSW each year. Butts are made of plastic cellulose acetate, a pollutant releasing over 400 toxic chemicals into the environment and waterways. Unextinguished littered butts are a potential fire hazard. Accumulated butt litter attracts more littering and the clean-up of unsightly butt litter is often difficult and expensive. Nudging smokers to shift from littering butts to being engaged in litter prevention has environmental, social and economic benefits.
The National Litter Index shows that cigarette butts are consistently the most-littered item in NSW. It is estimated that each year 1.32 billion cigarette butts are littered in NSW. Cigarette butts are unsightly, toxic and harmful to the environment. They are easily carried in stormwater runoff through drainage systems and eventually to local streams, rivers, and waterways. Cigarette filters contain cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that does not readily biodegrade and can persist in the environment.
How will AlburyCity tackle cigarette butt litter?
Cleanliness is an important factor which influences social compact, especially as litter attracts more litter.
Our teams will clean up the smoking areas in Lavington and choose one particular smoking hotspot where pavement stencils, stickers and signs will be placed to direct smokers to use the bin.
AlburyCity will also be sharing useful information across our social channels on why reducing cigarette butt litter id so important for our environment.
