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Cigarette Butts

It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of cigarettes flicked one at a time, onto our footpaths, town centres, public open spaces and beaches. In fact cigarettes are the most littered item in the UK and Poole is no exception.

Each cigarette butt can take up to ten years to biodegrade and now that most buildings do not allow smoking inside, the problem of discarded butts on entryways and public highways is increasing.

What we are doing to tackle the problem

The Pride in Poole campaign looks to educate members of the public that cigarette butts are actually litter and they should not be discarded on the street. Where necessary formal enforcement action may be taken against individuals who drop their cigarette butts, this could involve issuing a fixed penalty notice or prosecution..

Additionally we are pleased to be working in partnership with the No Butts Bin Company Ltd to offer reduced priced "Butt Bins" to Poole's businesses in an effort to reduce the number of butts on the streets.