KAB Reports 48-Percent Cigarette Litter Reduction with 2013 Programs

Keep America Beautiful (KAB) reported a 48-percent reduction in cigarette litter waste in communities implementing its program in 2013.

The Stamford, Conn.-based KAB said there were 200 grant-supported implementations of its Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) in 2013, according to a news release. The settings included downtowns, roadways, beaches, parks, marinas, colleges/universities, tourist locations, and at special events.

In the past eight years the CLPP has regularly cut cigarette butt litter by half in the first four to six months after program was implemented. The program is in its 11^th year.

Survey results show that as communities continue to monitor the program the reductions are sustained or even increase as time goes on.

Tobacco products, consisting mainly of cigarette butts, are the most littered item in America, comprising nearly 38 percent of all items littered, according to "Litter in America," KAB’s 2009 study of litter and littering behavior.

“As Keep America Beautiful focuses on building and sustaining vibrant communities, it’s essential to reduce cigarette litter to lessen the environmental harm this common type of litter places on our landscapes and waterways,” said Jennifer Jehn, KAB president and CEO.

The CLPP program advocates four approaches: enforcement of littler laws; raising awareness through public service messages; ash receptacles at transition points; and distribution of portable ashtrays.