Gedling Borough Council is asking people to put their Butts Out. The new campaign aims to encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette ends in clean and environmentally friendly way, by putting them in portable ashtrays!
The bright blue portable ashtrays are made of a heat resistant plastic and are the ideal size for pockets and handbags.
The council has purchased over a thousand of these ashtrays and will be distributing them throughout the Borough as part of the launch.
There are approximately 15,000 smokers in the Gedling area who smoke around 102,000 cigarettes a day. It is estimated that 40% of the litter in the Borough is smoking related, be it wrappers, cartons or cigarette ends.
It is hoped that the new initiative will encourage people to recognise that cigarette ends are litter.
The idea for the campaign was originally developed in Australia and has more recently been introduced to Dublin. Gedling Borough Council is, however, one of the first to bring the scheme to the UK.
Kevin Nealon, Community Protection Manager, said: “When we stumbled across it we thought it was great. It is a very simple idea: Here’s an ashtray, use it.
“The fact is we’ve educated people to pick up dog mess and take it home with them in their pockets – there must be a way smokers can manage to take fag ends away.”
If you would like to obtain a Gedling Borough Council Butts Out portable ashtray they are available from the Civic Centre, Arnot Hill Park, Arnold. Alternatively our Neighbourhood Wardens will be able to send you one. Contact them either by phone on 0115 901 3832 or email neighbourhood.wardens@gedling.gov.uk
If you need advice on giving up smoking please call the NHS Stop Smoking Service on 0800 169 0169 or New Leaf Nottingham on 0115 934 9526. You can also visit www.givingupsmoking.co.uk
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