Cigarette Litter Prevention Program

In 2019, Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful (KSPLB) implemented the Cigarette Litter Preventing Program campaign project by partnering with Task Force partners and developed new relationships and partnerships with the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (MIATC), Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup team, The Saints Golf Course and Parks & Recreation Department (C-24 Canal Park). The campaign entailed working with boaters and golfers to help reduce litter on golf courses and in the waterways.

Keep America Beautiful®, the nation's largest community improvement nonprofit organization, announced it has awarded a $20,000 2020 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) grant to Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful to address cigarette litter in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

In 2020, KPSLB worked with with The Saints Golf Course and golfers with new emphasis on commercial properties. KPSLB provided free ash receptacles, ash receptacle cups, litter stands and litter grabbers.

In 2021, KPSLB was awarded a $15,000 grant a $20,000 grant in 2022. The focus shifted towards improving litter stemming from commercial public plazas and KPSLB partnered with East Port Plaza and Sympatico Plaza these past two years. Cigarette butt litter scans were conducted on both sites and free ash receptacle stands were placed.

Results for East Port Plaza:

• Scan #1: 1,688 cigarette butts were found on the ground with 0 cigar tips
• Scan #2: 1,235 cigarette butts were found on the ground with 16 cigar tips
• 26.83% decrease

Results for Sympatico Plaza:

• Scan #1: 2,609 cigarette butts were found on the ground with 0 cigar tips
• Scan #2: 916 cigarette butts were found on the ground with 2 cigar tips
• 64.89% decrease

KPSLB continues to partner with city business owners and commercial property owners/property managers by providing free ash receptacle stands and a CLPP Gift Box (while supplies last).

Cigarette butts are the most frequently littered items in the United States today. Tobacco products make up roughly 38 percent of all U.S. roadway litter and comprise nearly 30 percent of litter at "transition points", which are defined as areas where individuals consuming a food or tobacco product must discard the product before entering, such as the entrances to office buildings or retail stores.

Because a cigarette butt is relatively small, smokers tend to overlook the consequences of littering. Some believe they're acting responsibly when they extinguish cigarettes by dropping them on the ground. But those butts don't disappear. About 95 percent of cigarette filters are comprised of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that does not quickly degrade and can persist in the environment. Depending on the conditions of the area where the cigarette butt is discarded, it can take 18 months to 10 years for it to decompose.

Some smokers also erroneously assume that dropping butts into gutters or drains is a safe way to extinguish them. Many of those cigarette butts travel through stormwater systems and end up in local streams and rivers polluting waterways. Cigarette butt litter can also pose a hazard to animals and marine life when they mistake the filters for food.

A 2019 Keep America Beautiful litter study revealed a 65 percent littering rate among smokers. Both the availability of ash receptacles and the amount of existing litter affected the littering rate. Smokers are more likely to litter when an ash receptacle or trash can is not close by. Littering is also more likely to occur when the environment contains any type of litter, not just cigarette butts.

Study results show that smokers under 30 years old are more likely to litter than those individuals who are older. It stated that age, and not gender, is a significant predictor of littering behavior.

Visit these websites or more information about cigarette litter:

• Keep America Beautiful (KAB)
• KAB: Prevent Cigarette Litter Program

Preventing cigarette litter requires changing individual behavior. Smokers are encouraged to properly dispose of cigarettes butts in ash receptacles and trash cans, or to use a pocket ashtray when receptacles are not available. For every additional ash receptacle, the littering rate for cigarette butts decreases 9 percent. Businesses and facilities should consider increasing the number of available trash cans and ash receptacles at their establishment if cigarette litter persists.

There are 1.1 billion smokers in the world today, and if current trends continue, the number is expected to increase to 1.6 billion by the year 2025. If you're a smoker thinking about quitting, there are many resources and programs available. Cigarettes pollute the air we breathe and the ground we walk on. When you quit smoking you're contributing to the health and well-being of your environment and your body.

Visit these websites or more information about how to quit smoking:

• www.tobaccofreeflorida.com
• www.floridahealth.gov

KPSLB is offering litter stands to HOA's in the City of Port St. Lucie for free while supplies last.

In partnership with Keep America Beautiful, KAB affiliates and partner organizations have an opportunity to participate in a Philip Morris USA initiative. Philip Morris will place 10,000 litter stands to collect cigarette butts in communities nationwide and educate adult smokers 21+ on the importance of disposing of their cigarette butts properly.

Adult smokers are being given the opportunity to enter locations (city and zip code) on a map to indicate where they would like to see a litter stand installed. As stands are placed, an interactive map will populate featuring local stories and showing locations that have been selected.

Keep America Beautiful & Philip Morris USA requests your help in finding locations to place litter stands to provide opportunities for adult smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts properly.

Why Participate?

• For every additional litter stand, the littering rate for cigarette butts decreases 9%.
• The majority of smokers said they would properly dispose of their butts if suitable receptacles were available.
• Litter stands and hardware are offered for free.

Requirements

• Install the litter stand(s) in an accessible place (e.g., outside entrance to retail location, or transition point where adult smokers commonly dispose of cigarette butts). Hardware is included to mount each receptacle.
• Maintain litter stand(s) (e.g., regularly empty cigarette butts into garbage).
• Share the GPS coordinates of each litter stand's location with KAB to include on the interactive map. GPS coordinates can be identified in several ways:
  • Enter the litter stand location/address into www.latlong.net and record coordinates.
  • Using Google Maps, right-click the place on the map. Select "What's Here?". At the bottom of the map, a card with coordinates will appear.

Specifications

• Manufactured by Sidewalk Buttler
• Dimensions: 4" x 4" x 14"
• Made of aluminum with black powder coating
• Empties from the bottom, by removing the shackle lock
• Shackle lock & two nuts and bolts are included with the litter stand

Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful launches the #NoButtsAboutIt Cigarette Litter Prevention Program

KPSLB invites business owners and commercial property owners to participate in a new program that aims to reduce in an effort to reduce one of the largest sources of litter in Port St. Lucie -- cigarette butts.

The availability of ash receptacles directly correlates to lower rates of cigarette butt littering, according to landmark study by Keep America Beautiful. The study shows that just one additional ash receptacle can decrease the amount of cigarette litter by 9 percent in its respective area. With that in mind, KPSLB focuses on cigarette litter reduction through public messaging and offering incentives to patterning businesses.

Through the #NoButtsAboutIt Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, participating businesses will receive a free ash receptacle stand, and a pocket or cup ash receptacle (while supplies last) purchased with a grant from Keep America Beautiful. Participants will also receive free online resources and will be listed on this webpage.

"The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program continues to empower communities to help reduce the most commonly littered item," says Georgette Beck, KPSLB Program Supervisor. "Providing ash receptacles and distributing public education are useful tools to spread the message in keeping our city clean."

Specifications for the Genuine Joe - GJO58891 4.25 Gal Fire-Safe Smoking Receptacle:

• Durable, UV stabilized, powder-coat finish endures severe weather
• Interior contains a fire-safe, galvanized steel liner
• Ideal in high-traffic areas, indoors and outdoors, and prevents unsightly cigarette burn damage
• Includes a handle that removes for discarding butts
• Black; 4.25-gallon capacity

KPSLB has a free digital media toolkit with various graphics available for download to help you engage with others in your community about the importance of cigarette litter prevention.

• CLPP Flyer(PDF, 249KB)
• CLPP RAC Card(PDF, 251KB)
• CLPP Cigarette Character(PDF, 304KB)
• CLPP Indian River Magazine ad(PDF, 213KB)
• CLPP St. Lucie Voice Ad(PDF, 229KB)

We encourage you to share your prevention messages on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Here are some sample social media messages to get you started!

Cigarette Litter Prevention Flyer(PDF, 249KB)