Babergh District Council is targeting the issue of smoking-related litter on Sudbury’s streets as part of its six week Spring Clean programme.
Babergh officers, working in partnership with Sudbury Town Council, - and ‘Big Cig’ - will be in Sudbury Town Centre on April 8th, from midday until 2pm, handing out free portable ashtrays in a bid to encourage people not to drop used cigarette butts.
And while some may feel a cigarette butt or two isn’t much harm, statistics reveal that in 2007/8 smoking-related litter, such as cigarette butts, were found at 73 per cent of surveyed sites across Babergh – all which costs council taxpayers to clean up. Sudbury Town Centre alone costs nearly £80,000 a year to keep clean.
Daniel Whymark, Babergh’s Local Environmental Quality Officer, said: “Smokers’ litter is the most common form of litter found on our streets and while we have worked to provide facilities for smokers to dispose of their litter, this type of litter is still a problem..
“In 2008, Babergh joined up with Sudbury Town Council to spend approximately £10,000 on installing 22 new litter bins - all fitted with cigarette ashtrays - in the town centre. Prior to that, Babergh subsidised 80 cigarette bins for businesses to help reduce littering outside their premises, following the introduction of the smoking ban.
“Unfortunately the majority of our litter fines are a result of smokers dropping cigarette butts we are looking to educate smokers that this is still littering, it’s unacceptable.and that Babergh is prepared to take incidents to court if necessary.”
Babergh has taken two cases of cigarette butt littering to court when the offender has failed to accept a Fixed Penalty Notice issued to them. On both occasions the offenders were found guilty by magistrates and given fines totalling more than £700.
The Big Cig event is part of Babergh’s annual Spring Clean programme, which has been running since the beginning of March and is supporting BBC Radio Suffolk’s Don’t Be A Tosser 2010 campaign.
More than 20 of parishes across the district have committed to taking part in litter picks to tidy up their community as part of the Clean Up.
As well as litter picks, Babergh is urging the public to adopt-an-area of Babergh – and has 100 litter grabbers and high-visibility vests, at a maximum of five per parish, to give away to individuals who will pledge to take part in regular litter patrols.
Babergh is also offering an amnesty on charging for the surrender and disposal of unwanted vehicles during its Spring Clean.
For the six weeks Babergh will waive its £36 fee. This initiative is being run by our Environmental Protection section and anyone who would like to take advantage of this offer should email environmental.protection@babergh.gov.uk or call 01473 826623.
For further information on what you can do to help keep your district clean and tidy, please visit Babergh’s website: http://www.babergh.gov.uk/.
If you would like to organise a community litter pick in your area and borrow our equipment – or take advantage of the adopt-an-area litter pickers - please contact our Open Space section by emailing open.space@babergh.gov.uk or by calling 01473 826654.
* ‘Big Cig’ will be out on the streets with Ipswich Borough Council’s litter teams this week – on April 1st in the Cornhill, from noon until 2pm. ENDS
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