Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc. (KLCB) was awarded a grant from Keep America Beautiful to implement a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program in Lee County.

The Keep America Beautiful 2020 National Litter Study estimated that nine out of 10 littered items were 4 inches and less, with cigarette butts being the number one littered item in this category accounting for 9.7 billion butts counted on any given day in the U.S.

The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP), now in its 21st year, is the nation’s largest program aimed at reducing cigarette litter. Communities implementing a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, consistently reduce cigarette litter by half based on local measurements taken in the first four to six months after a program is implemented. Since its inception, the program has been implemented in more than 1,800 U.S. communities.

An effective local Cigarette Litter Prevention Program includes three proven, field-tested solutions or strategies for reducing cigarette butt litter.

• Raise awareness about the issue of proper cigarette butt disposal using messaging and marketing campaigns

• Place ash receptacles at transition points to non-smoking area like beaches hospitals, or public parks; and

• Distribute pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers

Keep Lee County Beautiful supports efforts to end littering and promote recycling and will be placing litter stands in locations that will help promote proper cigarette butt disposal among adult smokers. The litter stands will be maintained, and the cigarette butts will be recycled through the Terracycle’s Cigarette Recycling Program.

For additional information on this program and other initiatives of Keep Lee County Beautiful visit klcb.org.

About Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc.

Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc., established in 1989, is the county’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This local nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments.

For more information, call 239-334-3488 or visit klcb.org.

Follow on Facebook @KLCBInc or Instagram keepleecountybeautifulfl

Source: Keep Lee County Beautiful