French City Offers Honey in Exchange for Butts

The French city of Darnetal is offering residents honey in exchange for cigarette litter, reports Euro Pulse.

For each 1.5 liter bottle filled with butts, volunteers receive a pot of honey from local apiaries.

According to city hall estimates, 200 kilograms of cigarette butts end up on the sidewalks of Darnetal every year despite the fact that France punishes litterbugs with a fine of €135 per improperly discarded butt.

The plastic contained in the filters presents risks for water and soil, poisoning people and animals. The initiative is designed to motivate people to think about their contribution to environmental pollution.

European cities have been getting creative in tackling the problem of cigarette litter. In January, Slovakia announced a project to turn discarded butts into asphalt. The first road made of cigarette butts was constructed in the city of Ziar nad Hronom.