Cigarette Litter Down 54 Percent

Keep America Beautiful reports that there has been an average nationwide reduction of cigarette litter of 54 percent — a 6 percent improvement from 2006 — in the communities implementing the KAB Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. Some communities reported as much as a 65 percent reduction in cigarette litter in their hometown.

The nation's largest programme to combat cigarette-related litter seeks to educate adult smokers about the issue while offering access to pocket ashtrays and ash receptacles as a way to combat one of the most overlooked environmental problems. Now in its fifth year, it has been implemented in over 150 locations throughout the US. It sends hundreds of volunteers into the streets to collect and count cigarette butts. They then document improvements after the program has been implemented.

The 2007 campaign took place over a seven-month period beginning in May and ending in November. Each local affiliate reported results to the national organisation after two to three cigarette litter 'scans' that provided progress metrics for each community.

Public education is a major component of this initiative since individuals who would never litter such items as beverage cans or paper packaging typically do not consider tossing cigarette butts on the ground 'littering'. Through research, Keep America Beautiful found that this action occurs most often at transition points — areas where a person must stop smoking before proceeding into another area. These include bus stops, entrances to stores and public buildings, and walkways leading to government facilities, among others.

"Cigarette butts are the most littered item across the US, despite most peoples' perceptions," says G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful. "A lack of awareness, lack of ash receptacles, and ordinances that move smokers outdoors, all increase cigarette littering and make it a real challenge to keep our nation clean and beautiful. We're doing something about that."

"We are elated to see a big reduction this year and each year the program is implemented. Our goal is to expand the Program to every US community, making a major impact in the battle to curb litter throughout America."

Keep America Beautiful has refined the Program for the last five years with the help of funding from Philip Morris USA. The program's strategic approach involves all stakeholders in the cigarette litter problem, including businesses, law enforcement, local governments, community groups and smokers themselves.