No ifs, no butts, it's banned
June 1st 2007 Councils across England are stepping up cleansing and enforcement activities and
training their workforce so they are prepared for the smoking ban on July 1st.
Cigarette litter is already found on 80% of England's streets and Keep Britain Tidy
fears that this will rise if local authorities aren't prepared. The charity is running
workshops throughout July to help beat the butt blight
Twelve councils have teamed up with Keep Britain Tidy,
determined that their area will not become a giant ashtray
come July 1st. Keep Britain Tidy posters urging people to 'Stub
it, bin it' are on billboards, phone boxes and bus stops across
Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Camden, Colchester, Cornwall, Leeds,
Manchester,Milton Keynes, Stoke-On-Trent,Wigan and Wirral.
"Keep Britain Tidy is working very closely with councils and
businesses to ensure they will cope with the inevitable rise in
cigarette litter," says Ian Clayton,
deputy chief executive of Keep
Britain Tidy.
"Workshops, training courses,
reduced price cigarette bins and
free posters are just some of the
ways councils and businesses
can prepare themselves for July
1st."
Birmingham City Council has
handed out 10,000 free portable
ashtrays across the city to
smokers. Adverts are playing on
local radio stations and metal
top bins have been placed
around the city so smokers can
easily stub their cigarette end
before placing it safely in the
bin.
In Cambridge, council officers
greeted day trippers and
commuters off the trains with
the 'stub it, bin it'message. They
also joined up with the fire
service to host a stand in the
main pedestrian area advising
people about cigarette litter and the potential fine they faced as well
as reminding them of the fire hazard of smouldering fag ends.
In Colchester, newsagents are armed with personal ashtrays to give
out to customers and a whole host of businesses from nightclubs to
the local bowling alley and the student union to high street stores
are displaying cigarette litter posters and window stickers. The
council is also fining an average of one person a day for dumping
their fag end on the floor instead of stubbing and binning it.
All twelve councils are fining people who continue to drop
cigarette ends and other litter. People can be fined up to £80 under
the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.
Cllr David Rogers from the Local Government Association said:
"Town halls are gearing up to deal with the hundreds of extra tonnes
of cigarette butts,matches and cigarette boxes that could be
carelessly chucked onto our streets by smokers after July 1st.
"Any littering is unacceptable but town halls are ensuring that
smokers are given the opportunity to dispose of their rubbish
responsibly. Councils will be working to help businesses respond to
the new legislation.
"Fag ends are particularly tricky to clean up as they fall into grates
and cracks in the pavement. They also contain toxins which, if left,
can get into the water system posing a threat to the environment
and wildlife."
Keep Britain Tidy has run three conferences for local authorities
recently, preparing them for the ban. Additionally, there are
workshops in Birmingham, London and Manchester in July for local
authority officers and managers, helping to prepare them for the
smoking ban and tackling smoking related litter.
The event promises to be interactive and offer networking
opportunities and the chance to learn what's worked for other
councils and how they plan to beat the litter blight of cigarette
ends. Places are limited and it's a very popular event so click here
for full details and to book your
place. More articles from Encams (The Tidy Britain Group): | 
