Keep America Beautiful reports decline in cigarette litter
Cigarette litter dropped 54 percent from last year in communities around the country that implement the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP), according to the Stamford, Conn.-based organization. That is a 6 percent higher reduction than 2006.
More than 150 locations participate in CLPP, in which hundreds of volunteers scour their community for cigarette butts and educate the public on the idea that tossing butts on the ground is as bad as littering cans and paper products. “Cigarette butts are the most littered item across the U.S., despite most peoples’ perceptions,” says Keep America Beautiful President Raymond Empson. “A lack of awareness, a lack of ash receptacles, and ordinances that move smokers outdoors, all increase cigarette littering and make it a real challenge to keep our nation clean and beautiful.” Most cigarette butts are left at “transition points,” such as bus stops and building entryways.
Richmond, Va.-based Philip Morris USA, a major producer of tobacco products, has funded the CLPP program for the last five years. More information is available at www.preventcigarettelitter.org.