Initiated in Australia by Dr Vince Murdoch and Mr Steve Brossman who saw a need to take action on cigarette butt litter, BUTTsOUT is an enduring, simple to use solution to the problem of 4.3 trillion cigarette butts discarded every year.

We are on a mission. Building on the success of our Australian and early UK experience, BUTTsOUT is now commencing butt litter prevention in North America, Canada and Europe. We are offering City/Council based programs, Corporate opportunities and Merchandising and Retail distribution.

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is to resolve the largest environmental litter problem in the world by eliminating cigarette butt litter (1). The strategy we have developed to fulfill our mission translates into three clear objectives, which can be best categorized as three phases.

Phase 1

We want to provide smokers with an easily accessible, re-usable means to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly and safely.

Through education and community involvement we aim to encourage smokers to purchase and use personal portable ashtrays. Two steps are required – First we are launching education and publicity programs to highlight the issue of cigarette litter and how it can be readily resolved. This involves environmental, community, government and other groups in sponsoring large scale give-away programmes. Once brand awareness is achieved, our second step is to offer retail solutions that are sustainable, profitable and environmentally responsible for retailers.

A key environmental outcome of this strategy is to eliminate the indiscriminant damage to wildlife (2) and waterways as well as improving the aesthetic standards of public areas (3). Revenue from the sale of our education campaigns and personal ashtrays will provide seed funding for research into phase 2 and phase 3.

Phase 2

Collection and segregation of cigarette butt litter from other domestic waste must be achieved in order to eliminate environmental damage caused by landfill leach or, worse still, incineration. We aim to finance the development and implementation of appropriate Phase 2 solutions as well as ongoing research for Phase 3.

Phase 3

Finding and implementing sustainable recycling opportunities or the best disposal solutions for all components of cigarette butt litter is the ultimate objective.

We do not underestimate the time, effort or funding required to complete our mission, and we are aware we cannot do this alone, but until all three objectives have been achieved, a major environmental problem remains unresolved. This ambitious program is dependent on full backing from environmental agencies and strong community support.

(2) Butts have been found in the stomachs of young birds, sea turtles and other marine creatures (ecorecycle 1998)

(3) Estimates vary by country, but overall cigarette butts account for around 50% of items of litter in the Western World.