I had a great conversation with Phoebe Coles of Keep Philadelphia Beautiful this morning. Among KPB’s initiatives for the spring, Phoebe wants the Philadelphia satellite of Keep America Beautiful to target the most abundant - and often most neglected - form of litter: cigarette butts.
“People have different opinions of what is litter,” she says, and explains how even though the butts are ignored as small and “something common,” they have dangerous effects on water sources and eco-systems. And with the smoking ban in affect, more smokers are pushed outdoors - and that is precisely where the butts end up. It’s difficult to walk anywhere without stepping by a discarded cigarette, intruding upon even the cleanest of neighborhoods.
KPB wants to stop this intrusion, or at least curb it, by implementing Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, an initiative being used throughout the nation to control cigarette littering. The program’s website is very user friendly, providing a simple walkthrough for those looking to make a difference. Key components include education, stricter enforcement and advocacy, and the program provides grants for ash receptacles for participating communities. Personal “pocket ash trays,” for that smoker on the go, can also be ordered online.
Phoebe will begin recruiting communities soon. She will also encourage restaurants and bars to be more diligent about patrons throwing cigarettes away, and for such establishments to provide more smoke poles and disposal options on the sidewalks. As this initiative gets underway, you can help Phoebe and KPB by encouraging your filter-flinging friends to be a little more considerate (and possibly fill their Easter basket with a pocket ash tray).
