Butt Out!

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Six foot cigarette leads drive to tackle problem of smoking-related litter

A giant six foot cigarette is leading a new council drive to tackle the problem of smoking-related litter.

Known as ‘Ash’, the giant cigarette will be accompanying the council’s enforcement officers on visits to some of the borough’s ‘butt grot spots’, which includes the Chiswick High Road, to highlight the problem.

Smoking-related litter covers items such as cigarette ends, matchsticks and discarded cigarette packets and is found on an estimated 90% of the UK's city streets.

The new campaign aims to remind smokers across the borough that dropping litter, including cigarette butts, is a criminal offence.

Hounslow Council’s environment lead, Cllr Barbara Reid, said, "Tackling smoking-related litter is a significant part of our work and we are already taking steps such as installing more cigarette bins and helping local businesses to do their bit.

“We want to make it clear to people who smoke that dropping cigarette butts and litter for someone else to pick is not only unacceptable, it is a criminal offence.”

Some research suggests that the problem of smoking-related litter has increased since the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places on 1 July last year.

In the run up to the anniversary of the ban, the council is planning a number initiatives to tackle the problem including installing more cigarette bins, sending out enforcement officers to monitor some of the borough’s litter hotspots and launching a search for the borough’s worst ‘butt grot spots’.

March 31, 2008