LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A new initiative is targeting litter caused by cigarette smoking in the downtown Louisville area.
On Tuesday, the Louisville Downtown Partnership (LDP) unveiled a new "butt bin" program to reduced the number of cigarette butts discarded on sidewalks and streets in downtown.
Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit devoted to educating and inspiring people to clean, green and beautify their communities, gave LDP a grant that helped them receive 60 cigarette butt bins which will be installed around downtown Louisville.
Business or property owners can request a free bin, which will be positioned in high-traffic smoking areas. As well as to provide an important service, the bins also add a vibrant tough of color to downtown streets with their colorful vinyl wraps.
“Cigarette butts are the single most littered item – and a pain to pick up – so this new program not only educates and helps to keep our streetscapes clean and bright; it also provides a positive impact to our environment,” Rebecca Fleischaker, executive director of LDP, said. “The receptacles are attractive and convenient ways for smokers to more easily and purposefully dispose of their cigarette butts to serve a dual purpose in our Downtown.”
LDP is partnering with TerraCycle, a leading company in recycling challenging materials, to recycle the disposed cigarette filters. Often what happens when people drop their cigarette butts is the toxic, plastic cigarette filters get swept from the streets and sidewalks into our sewer system where they pollute our environment.
Cigarette butts will be collected from the receptacles on a monthly basis by the LDP Ambassador team.
“We are already seeing the benefit of Butt Bins here at the Frazier History Museum where we host hundreds of events and over one-hundred thousand guests per year,” said Frazier President Andy Treinen. “Creating a safe, clean and enjoyable environment is part of LDP’s mission and this program provides the museum nice looking bins and fewer not so nice-looking butts outside.”
Once collected and shipped, TerraCycle cleans and separates the waste by material type, and recycles it into raw formats that manufacturers can use to make new products. For every pound of cigarette waste collected, TerraCycle donates $1 towards the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.
To request a free butt bin near your place of business, please contact the LDP office at info@louisvilledowntown.org or 502-584-6000.
