Cigarette butt disposal bins are being trialled in Colchester City Centre, in a six-week pilot initiative to cut the amount of litter dropped on pavements and roads outside pubs and clubs.
Cigarette butt litter is prevalent and harmful. Research has found that smokers who drop their cigarette butts often justify their action by saying there are not enough bins to correctly dispose their cigarette butts in, and they feel there would be a fire risk is they put it in a standard litter bin.
This pilot is funded by Keep Britain Tidy ‘More Bins’ and aims to tackle that justification head on by installing more bins in key locations where cigarette butts are dropped when out for the evening.
Six of the new cigarette bins will be placed around Colchester City Centre, including The Centurion, Walkabout, Atik, Three Wise Monkeys, Yates, and The Playhouse, with plans to install further bins outside After Office Hours and Camulodunum.
Cllr Martin Goss, Colchester City Council Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services and Waste, said: “Cigarette butts are the most common item of litter found on our streets, which not only make an area look unpleasant, but are time-consuming and expensive to clean up.
“We understand that people want us to tackle litter, and this is why we're trying a range of initiatives including more cigarette bins, education and enforcement.”
The pilot bins will be monitored to determine if they encourage more people to dispose of their cigarette butts correctly. These figures will be fed back to Keep Britain Tidy, as part of the pilot scheme. If successful, the council plans to work with other hospitality venues to increase the number of bins.
This is just one of the initiatives the council and its partners are running to help tackle litter in Colchester, to ensure a welcoming environment for all who live in, work in and visit the city.
Page last reviewed: 25 April 2023