Go Forth Stirling BID has joined forces with Keep Britain Tidy to stamp out cigarette waste by urging smokers to ‘Bin Your Butts.’
The environmental charity has provided the BID (Business Improvement District) with sand-filled bucket bins, posters and butt boxes for smokers, featuring their well-known Drake the Duck character, to distribute at hospitality venues and forthcoming events.
The move is part of an ongoing campaign aimed at tackling the UK’s largest source of litter – cigarette butts.
According to the charity, millions of cigarette butts – which contain more than 7,000 different chemicals – are dropped on the ground every day, creating environmental damage by breaking apart into microplastics and seeping toxins into the soil and waterways.
The litter intervention began on Saturday (September 20) and runs until next Tuesday September 30 highlighting the harm cigarette butts, which are made of plastic and do not biodegrade, can cause and encouraging smokers to dispose of them responsibly.
Fiona McMillan, Go Forth’s Community Engagement and Business Improvement Officer, said: “We’re thrilled to once again be working with
Keep Britain Tidy as part of their national campaign to help reduce cigarette litter across the country.
“Our anti-smoking litter intervention began at the weekend to coincide with Stirling Pride and various events which mark the return of the University of Stirling’s student population.
“During this busy time, many residents and visitors will be out and about increasing the likelihood of cigarette litter across Stirling. To help mitigate that, we’ve been distributing ‘Bin Your Butts’ bins, posters and butt boxes, which are portable containers smokers can use to stub out and contain their cigarette butts when there is no bin nearby.
“We’ve handed them out to local pubs and at the University and hope smokers will take the time to ‘Bin their Butts’ everywhere they go in Stirling.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s research-based interventions in Scotland have been shown to reduce cigarette littering by 63% on average – by providing smokers with the right type of disposal options at the right time.
Go Forth took part in a similar Keep Britain Tidy campaign last April, in collaboration with members of Stirling’s Pubwatch group, which cut cigarette littering by 54% by deploying bucket bins outside licensed premises.
This year’s campaign features kits for venues and events which include
A4-sized posters encouraging smokers to ‘Bin Your Butts’ and spreading the message that ‘Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish’ plus bucket bins and butt boxes – made of recycled plastic – for smokers to use to dispose of their butts.
The Go Forth team have been busy distributing the kits to a variety of venues – including Hotel Colessio, Slanj-a-Va, Premier Inn, Molly Malones and The Golden Lion – and putting up posters at bus stops.
They hope they will make a real difference to smokers’ behaviour during forthcoming events such as Stirling Cocktail Week, which begins on Friday, September 26.
The campaign will also help enhance Stirling’s overall appearance and make the city centre a more welcoming destination for businesses, shoppers and visitors – one of the BID’s major remits.
Ms McMillan added: “The cleanliness and appearance of the city centre is a key concern for our business community and something we are always looking to improve upon in a variety of ways.
“Helping Keep Britain Tidy by distributing their kits to venues and events across Stirling is a great way to tackle cigarette waste and the environmental damage it causes.”
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Go Forth Stirling once again to tackle cigarette litter.
“Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the UK, and their impact on the environment and our wellbeing is far greater than many realise. This year, we’re providing businesses with simple, easy-to-implement kits that
share the message ‘Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish’ and make it easier for smokers to dispose of their butts responsibly.
“By offering practical solutions right where they’re needed, we can reduce cigarette litter and create cleaner, more welcoming streets for everyone.”
Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Gerry McGarvey said: “Cigarette butts are the world’s biggest source of litter and are hugely challenging for our staff to clean up. As well as impacting the appearance of Stirling’s historic and vibrant city centre, cigarette waste also causes significant environmental harm.
“With thousands of visitors attending major events in Stirling or simply enjoying a night out in town, this is a great time to raise awareness of this important issue and change smokers’ behaviour. Working together in this campaign, we are determined to reduce cigarette littering in our beautiful city so we can make it a cleaner, greener and better place for everyone.”
Go Forth Stirling is the city’s BID representing more than 600 business owners with a key objective of increasing visitors to the city and devising initiatives to help make it a more welcoming destination for businesses and shoppers.
For more information, visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk
