Please recycle (your damn cigarette butts)

by Stephen Hui on November 12th, 2013 at 3:48 PM

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Dear smokers who litter:

I get it. Once you've smoked that cancer stick down to the filter, you're probably not thinking about the consequences of tossing the butt on the ground. After all, you've got spreadsheets to format and peppermint mocha lattes to drink.

Now, I know you already find it challenging to dispose of your cigarette butts in the nearest garbage bin. But it's not too late to try something new. I'm talking about the cigarette receptables that are being installed in downtown Vancouver.

Just look for the signs: "Recycle Your Butts Here". The Cigarette Waste Brigade pilot program, launched today (November 12) by the City of Vancouver with funding from TerraCycle Canada, will see 110 of these receptables scattered across the downtown Vancouver, West End, Robson Street, and Gastown business districts.

Why should you bother to use these receptables? A City of Vancouver news release states: "Contrary to popular belief, cigarette filters are not biodegradable. They're made from cellulose acetate, which even though it slowly breaks down in the environment, it never loses its toxicity and can poison essential links in the aquatic food chain."

In other words, if not for your fellow humans, do it for the fish. Please and thank you.

Comments

16 Comments

SmokerT

Nov 12, 2013 at 5:34pm

The problem to date has been the city does not have ashtrays in public places, and if you have any smarts at all you know throwing a "hot" cigarette butt into a garbage can is very likely to start a fire......

So, prior to this wonderful campaign, smokers really didn't have many options other than to litter. Let us hope the city puts these units everywhere!

BonnieLee

Nov 12, 2013 at 5:44pm

Calm down man. They just announced it today. Holy smokes. Lol

Amanda G.

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:03pm

Smokers, why not buy a portable ashtray at Yokoyaya123 (at Tinseltown) or Daiso (Aberdeen Centre) for a few dollars? That way, you can stockpile your butts until you get to one of these receptacles or somewhere else you can dispose of them? They're also quite chic! (See http://global.rakuten.com/en/category/toys_games/hobbies/smoking/portabl...) I can't figure out why these devices from Japan haven't caught on here.

Smokie

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:08pm

That's how I handle it: when I am done with my cigarette I twist out the rest of the tobacco and step on the hot tobacco. The cigarette butt then always ends up in the next garbage can. So easy! But then you hear comments like "are you crazy throwing your cigarette in the garbage"... I' give these people a smile and walk away ;-)

Page Turner

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:17pm

Ok! Well intentioned and I hope it is as useful as it sounds to drop that City money into this. BUT, what about the bylaw that prohibits smokers from smoking outside within six meters of a doorway or air vent? THAT was a very worthwhile campaign that is NEVER enforced. When calling the city about this they claim they can't afford by law officers for enforcement. This program is voluntary but often smokers do not smoke their butts down to the filter. The city spends a fortune clearing gastown streets of butts (and very little else) with great noise from three separate contractors, very early in the morning. Then the poorest people come along scrambling for any butt they missed which they RECYCLE by smoking them down to the filter. or re rolling them. Put it all (more) in the garbage, with THIS program and you lose the opportunity to recycle. I'm totally against smoking, but this looks more like a pr campaign than anything else or they would enforce the clean air bylaw! Put our tax money into bylaw officers, so we who do not wish to inhale cigarette smoke, can breathe free when we use the sidewalk/entries/exits that is the only way to get where we are going. ;) Both initiatives would be best. But, I'm not holding my breath on that. lol

Smoke free finally

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:30pm

No effort in picking them up and trashing them later. Pretty disgusting
Habit of just tossing them

enough picking on smokers

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:44pm

Enough already! You guys are treating smokers like criminals. And by the way, heroin addicts are treated better than smokers in this city! have some empathy and respect for those who smoke..it is one of the worst addictions alive and very hard to quit. Please stop intimidating smokers. Please treat smokers with respect-they are human beings too!

addicts

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:54pm

always have an excuse. always have a reason. always talk about quitting. always looking for their next fix.

Natty

Nov 12, 2013 at 6:54pm

I thought the pilot they did in the summer-5 cents for 5 cigarette butts would have been a more effective approach. The receptacles are only accessible to a few areas in the city and people won't go out of their way to use them. At least the money back approach can be taken advantage of. On any given day walking on either side of the PNE, I see thousands of butts. Disgusting.