Media Release: 15 October 2009
A community campaign will help reduce the large number of littered cigarette butts washed from streets and shopping centre car parks into stormwater drains polluting fragile South Australian waterways.
On 17 October, KESAB environmental solutions, Westfield shopping centres, local Councils and the Butt Littering Trust will launch the Butt Free Westfield campaign, to raise awareness that 1 in 10 butts dropped in streets and car parks end up in lakes, rivers and beaches.
"Over 7 billion cigarettes are littered in Australia every year," said Wendy Jones, Executive Director of the Butt Littering Trust, "and in those numbers they're having a widespread impact.
Many people don't realise that cigarette butts are made from tiny tubes of plastic. They are light weight, non biodegradable and easily moved by wind and rain into drains," said Jones.
"If the thought of a cigarette butt between your toes on the beach this summer isn’t bad enough, consider that they pose a poison and choking risk to young children who find them in the sand while exploring and tend to put them in their mouths.
Butts also leach toxic chemicals affecting water quality and cause problems for birds and marine animals that mistakenly ingest them," added Jones.
Educators in bright blue t-shirts will be offering free personal ashtrays at Westfield Marion, West Lakes and Tea Tree Plaza in exchange for pledges to: "PLEASE BUTT IT, THEN BIN IT®".
Also as part of the campaign, Westfield will install new butt litter bins in centre car parks and sign stormwater drain access points while the City of Charles Sturt and KESAB will have reusable personal ashtrays available at their offices.
KESAB and Councils will conduct monitoring of butt littering to measure the campaign's impact.
"Recent litter data shows that shopping centres, car parks and retails sites are the source of over 30% of all litter in South Australia", said Executive Director of KESAB John Phillips.
"Cigarette butts are the most common item counted at over 65% of litter at each of these sites and have increased across all sites in South Australia by 30% in the last three months."
Butt Free Westfield will show how through a cooperative effort, small changes can reduce the large impact of cigarette butts on the environment.
Jones added, "Behavioural research reveals many smokers won't litter a cigarette packet or drink container, but don’t consider dropping a cigarette butt as littering.
This campaign is a positive action: educating smokers who litter that butts have a real impact and asking them to "PLEASE BUTT IT, THEN BIN IT®".
Butt Free Westfield: West Lakes, Marion and Tea Tree Plaza, 17 October 2009 (between 10 – 3pm)
A partnership between KESAB environmental solutions, Westfield and the Butt Littering Trust (Buttfree.org.au)
Contacts:
- KESAB (John Phillips OAM – Executive Director), 0413 877 875
- Westfield West Lakes (Trevor Hill – Centre Manager), 0417 676 193
- Butt Littering Trust (Wendy Jones – Executive Director), 0418 172 400
High resolution campaign images are available via the links below:
"Butts dropped HERE, End up HERE" (PDF - 422kb): http://rcpt.yousendit.com/752715885/29354d4f57cb8be1c40361d6e231bb94
"Butts dropped HERE, End up HERE" (PDF - 10MB – print file) – http://rcpt.yousendit.com/752716471/4ed4d174510b8bfab461d4f23a921ff3
