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31 Aug 07New Campaign To 'Stub Out' Cigarette Litter
Borough of Poole and Bournemouth Borough Council will be at the forefront of a new nationwide campaign aimed at tackling cigarette litter.
The two councils are among ten local authorities in the country selected to spearhead a major promotional campaign to be launched in September.
The aim of the campaign will be to encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts properly and not drop them as litter. New 'Smokefree 
' legislation, which banned smoking in enclosed public spaces from July 1, has the potential to increase smoking related litter.
Borough of Poole’s Environmental and Consumer Protection Services and Bournemouth Borough Council’s Street Services have been successful in their applications to partner the environmental charity Encams on its Cigarette Litter campaign.
Other councils invited to take part in the campaign include Barnet, Darlington, Islington, Stockport, Telford, Trafford, West Sussex and York.
Cllr Don Collier, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Borough of Poole, said: “With the introduction of Smokefree, there is the potential for smoking related litter to increase, but with a high-profile education campaign promoting the issues and highlighting the potential fines for dropping litter we can ensure that people can take pride in keeping Poole tidy.”
Cllr David Smith, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Community, Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "Bournemouth remains committed to keeping the town free of litter, particularly in wake of the new Smokefree legislation which has the potential to lead to more litter on our streets. Through a mix of education and enforcement we aim to tackle the problem head on to ensure the town remains a Cleaner, Safer, Greener place to live."
Encams will be providing a significant level of campaign advertising following the theme of “however you disguise it, it’s still litter”. Posters in phone booths, bus stops and other advertising spaces will promote the campaign in high profile areas such as the High Street and other retail areas. The campaign will run for two weeks from Monday September 17.
An initial survey of the litter problem in Poole was carried out by Environmental and Consumer Protection Services in May 2007. Results suggested smoking related litter is widespread, with cigarette ends found on 93% of all sites surveyed. It was also shown that smoking related litter contributed to 73% of all litter found. Similar figures are being found across the country.
In Poole and Bournemouth, bins have been installed to allow smokers to dispose of their litter responsibly. Borough of Poole has already installed stub plates on a number of bins in the High Street and along Poole Quay with a further 300 'stub it' bins being installed across the borough. Bournemouth has installed over 100 'Stub it' bins on existing litter bins around the town for smokers to dispose of their butts and both councils have handed out free Personal Ashtrays and gum pouches to raise awareness of the problems associated with litter.
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