Media release: 24 August 2011
In a collaborative effort to reduce the environmental problems caused by cigarette butt litter, the City of Melbourne, EPA Victoria and Melbourne Water have joined forces with Butt Free Australia in a hard hitting campaign to change butt littering behaviour in Melbourne.
Butt FREE Melbourne is the catalyst for these organizations joining together and, this Friday, 26 August, City of Melbourne’s Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, EPA Victoria’s Chairman, Cheryl Batagol and Melbourne Water’s General Manager of Waterways, Chris Chesterfield will join Butt Free Australia’s Chairman, Ian Coles to deliver the message that cigarette butt litter is ‘Not a Good Look’ for Melbourne.
More than 10,000 butts are littered on Melbourne’s city streets each working day and the goal of the collaboration is to raise awareness of the butt littering problem and to help create a Butt FREE Melbourne.
“Our city is not an ash tray” Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said. “People must take responsibility for their cigarette butts. We provide nearly 3000 bins so that smokers can discard their cigarette butts responsibly; it’s as simple as that.”
“Butts on our streets end up in our waterways, where they adversely affect water quality and hurt aquatic animals,” added Melbourne Water’s General Manager of Waterways, Mr Chris Chesterfield. “The best way to keep our waterways butt free is for everyone to make sure they dispose of their cigarettes responsibly.”
“Cigarette butts are the most commonly reported item to EPA’s Pollution hotline. Last financial year, more than 14,000 members of the community reported litterers to EPA,” said EPA Victoria’s Chairman, Ms Cheryl Batagol. “The number of fines indicates that Victorians do not support littering and want those who do the wrong thing to be held to account.”
“We are delighted that the City of Melbourne, EPA Victoria and Melbourne Water are supporting Butt Free Australia to deliver the message that individuals can make a difference and that butt littering is ‘Not a Good Look’ for the litterer nor the area being littered” added Mr Ian Coles, Chairman Butt Free Australia.
The campaign, which is an initiative of Butt Free Australia, reminds smokers to PLEASE BUTT IT, THEN BIN IT®.
About Butt FREE Melbourne
The Butt FREE Melbourne campaign includes a high impact outdoor poster campaign and community service announcements across a range of media including the big screen at Fed Square.
Pedestrians will be invited to visit the Butt FREE Melbourne education desk on 30 August, 31 August and 1 September which will be set up at Flinders Street Station, Bourke Street Mall and Queensbridge Square respectively over the three days.
As well as providing information and personal ashtrays at the desk, Butt FREE Melbourne educators will be asking smokers to sign a pledge not to drop their cigarette butt litter.
About Butt Free Australia
For further information about Butt Free Australia visit www.buttfree.org.au
Please visit Butt Free Australia’s campaign website www.notagoodlook.com.au for information about the problems and myths about butt litter.
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Prepared by Octo Integrated Marketing, for Butt Free Australia.
More media information from Michele Eckersley,
t 03 90205900 e
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m 0422 726344
or
Wendy Jones, at Butt Free Australia
t 03 9898 0087 e
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m 0418 172 400
