Getting on top of cigarette litter
Keep America Beautiful (KAB) has reported an average 55 per cent reduction in cigarette litter within the communities that implemented its Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) during 2012, according to a press note issued through USNewswire.
In 2012, the program’s 10th year, there were 195 grant-supported implementations across the US in a variety of places including downtowns, roadways, beaches, parks, marinas, colleges/universities and tourist spots, and at special events.
‘Over the past seven years, the CLPP has consistently cut cigarette butt litter by half based on local measurements taken in the first four months to six months after a program implementation,’ the press note said.
‘Survey results also showed that as communities continue to monitor the program those reductions are sustained or even increased over time.
‘For example, more than 100 communities that started programs in 2011 achieved an average reduction of 48 per cent that year, and increased that reduction by an additional 17 per cent when measured again in 2012.’
“Cigarette litter may still be a significant issue throughout the country, but our Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is making a difference in communities where the program is being implemented,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO of KAB.
“Through consistent and persistent public education in combination with access to receptacles, we can lessen the environmental harm cigarette litter places on our landscapes and waterways.”
