Cigarette Litter Prevention

About Cigarette Litter Dropping partially-smoked cigarettes, cigarette butts, matches, lighters, and packaging to the ground is littering. According to the annual International Coastal Cleanup statistics, cigarette butts were the most littered item—representing over 34% of the items collected. Individuals who would never litter beverage cans or paper packaging typically do not consider tossing cigarette butts littering.

Cigarette Litter and the Environment About 95% of cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic which does not biodegrade quickly and can persist in the environment. About 18% of litter, traveling primarily through storm water systems, ends up in local streams, rivers, and waterways.

Cigarette Littering Behavior Only 10% of cigarette butts are deposited in litter receptacles—the least likely item to be placed in a receptacle. Most cigarette littering occurs in and around “transition points.” These are areas where a smoker must extinguish a cigarette before entering. Many smokers who do not properly dispose of their butts, lighting material, and packaging do not consider their behavior littering. Some smokers believe they are acting responsibly by dropping cigarettes on the ground and stepping on them to extinguish them. Some smokers think dropping butts into gutters or storm drains is a safe way to extinguish a cigarette. This picture shows a community “transition point”, a place where a smoker must stop smoking before proceeding.

Program Goal: To effectively and noticeably reduce cigarette litter. Program Strategies: Enforce anti-litter laws. Install ash receptacles at transition points. Encourage the use of pocket ashtrays. Build public awareness of the problem and the solutions with public service ads, referred to as PSA’s. The Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program

Program Field-Testing Two years of field-testing by Keep America Beautiful affiliates in over a dozen U.S. cities showed cigarette litter can be reduced as much as 46% by implementing a multi-dimensional approach to cigarette litter:  Cigarette Litter Scans to measure current conditions and program impact.  Public Service Messages in local media.  Strategic placement of Ash Receptacles at neighborhood transition points.  Distribution of FREE Pocket Ashtrays.

Program Components Public Service Ads Pocket Ashtray Ash Receptacles

First Three Months Assess local cigarette litter problem  Review local litter laws  Choose pilot neighborhood and conduct survey  Identify pilot neighborhood transition points Establish a Cigarette Litter Prevention Team  Set the program budget  Identify sources of funding and in-kind contributions Implement Prevention Strategies  Choose and order ash receptacles  Order pocket ashtrays  Customize media materials for local market Prevention Campaign Timeline for Local Program in Pilot Neighborhood

Next Three Months Launch the Prevention Campaign  Install ash receptacles  Distribute pocket ashtrays  Place public service messages  Start media outreach Evaluate Results  Conduct follow-up survey  Assess program impact  Plan for sustainability Beyond Month Six Strategize community-wide roll out of prevention campaign Establish roll-out timeline and team member responsibilities Expand Cigarette Litter Prevention Team as needed Prevention Campaign Timeline for Local Program in Pilot Neighborhood

About Keep America Beautiful Established in 1953 – the nation’s largest volunteer-based community improvement organization. Mission: To engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. Guiding Principles: Education Individual Responsibility Public-Private Partnerships Volunteer Action National Community Improvement Focus Areas: Litter Prevention Waste Reduction Beautification

Keep America Beautiful, Inc. … engaging individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments.