William Eichler 15 September 2016

City of Edinburgh Council cleans up with ballot bin

Edinburgh has adopted an innovative way of discouraging smokers from discarding their cigarette butts on the ground—the ballot bin.

First featured in the Neat Streets campaign run by environmental charity Hubbub, the bin aims to stop smokers from littering by asking them to ‘vote’ on certain issues.

One bin, for example, asks, ‘Who’s your favourite Trainspotting character? Sickboy or Spud’. Smokers can extinguish their butts in the ashtray under their preferred character.

After a pilot, the council has installed 20 of the bins around the city.

‘The ballot bin project has proved very successful as it’s a great example of using innovative ways of challenging people, who previously may have dumped their cigarette ends on the street, to dispose of them in one of the bins spread across the city centre,’ said Cllr Lesley Hinds, environment convener for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Cigarette butt litter costs Edinburgh’s city centre £2.4m a year to clean up.

‘Some smokers don’t seem to think of cigarette ends as litter and that it’s OK to dispose of them by simply dumping them on the street,’ Cllr Hinds said.

‘Cigarette litter is as unsightly as any other litter and is particularly difficult to remove from Edinburgh’s cobbled streets where the butts get stuck between the stones.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Residential Assistant

Essex County Council
£25081.00 - £25395.00 per annum
Residential AssistantPermanent, Full Time£25,081 up to £25,395 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Senior Planning Officer

Durham County Council
Grade 11 £39,513 to £43,693 Grade 12 £42,708 to £46,731 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
Durham County Council is looking for experienced and knowledgeable Senior Planning Officers to join our vibrant Development Management team. Our team Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Head of Service – Social Care

Wrexham County Borough Council
G15 £63,148 - £67,058 per annum
There is an exciting opportunity within Children Social Care to join the senior management team Wrexham (Wrecsam)
Recuriter: Wrexham County Borough Council

Head of Service Social Work & Specialist Support

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Grade M scp 60 £72,118 - scp 64 £77,293
There couldn’t be a more exciting time to join us. Blackburn, Lancashire
Recuriter: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Cafe Assistant - Weald Country Park

Essex County Council
Up to £13.3000 per hour
Café Assistant (Weald Country Park)Contract
Recuriter: Essex County Council
Linkedin Banner