It’s been one year since the Hampton Roads region began tackling cigarette litter using a consistent message and a proven project model developed by Keep America Beautiful. The “Cigarette Butts = Litter” campaign kicked off in June 2015 at seven diverse locations across Hampton Roads. During the project, local teams and volunteers analyzed their sites, installed cigarette waste receptacles in strategic locations and conducted outreach directly to smokers encouraging them to be mindful of their disposal habits and offering them a pocket ashtray or auto ashtray for the cup holder of their vehicle. Last fall we were excited to report an average 74 percent reduction in cigarette litter at the seven project sites. Today we are again happy to report that our average reduction has stayed nearly the same for over six months since intensive outreach activities ended. The average reduction today is still 69 percent fewer cigarette butts on the ground than before the launch of this effort.
We hope the results of this project will inspire others in the community to fight back against cigarette litter using this proven project model from Keep America Beautiful. The model can be applied to any public space including businesses, parks, entertainment venues and attractions, college campuses and more! Let’s keep up the momentum! Learn more about the KAB Cigarette Litter Prevention program then check out the free Cigarette Butts = Litter outreach resources in the askHRgreen.org Online Media Toolkit!