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| An extra 25 tonnes of cigarette debris may hit UK streets after the Ban. |
With one month to go until all workplaces in England go smoke-free, councils around the country are warning smokers not to drop cigarette litter in the street after 1 July.
Town halls are set to step in to deal with up to 25 tonnes of extra cigarette rubbish that could be dumped on Britain's streets every day as a result of the smokefree legislation.
The Local Government Association (LGA), a cross-party organisation which represents over 400 councils in England and Wales, is warning that street cleaners will need to concentrate on areas outside pubs and clubs in the months following 1 July, as smokers step outside.
Councils have a number of priorities - working with local businesses to provide ash trays and special containers outside pubs and restaurants, handing out free cigarette pouches for smokers, launching advertising campaigns to ask people not to throw their butts on the ground
Cllr David Rogers, LGA spokesperson for the smokefree legislation, says: “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.
“The introduction of smoke-free workplaces represents the best chance to improve the public’s health for decades. However, councils are working hard to keep the streets clean and tidy and to ensure that unintended consequences of the legislation are minimised.”
Ginette Unsworth, Marketing Manager for Keep Britain Tidy, said:
"Smoking litter is a serious blight on the country's streets. It is likely that the number of discarded cigarette ends and boxes will increase when the new legislation is introduced and that's why we'll be running a campaign in June to encourage smokers to bin their butts."
Starting in June, EnCams will be embarking on a new campaign to change people’s attitudes and behaviours towards dropping cigarette litter.
At least 12 local authorities have been chosen to work with EnCams to help monitor the effects of the campaign on both a local and national level. They are: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Camden, Colchester, Cornwall, Leeds, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Stoke, Wigan and Wirral.
