Is the infrastructure
for implementing the law keeping up with the changes?
The Surfrider Foundation of Australia has been fighting cigarette butt littering since 1998 with the Hold On to Your Butt Program.
Surfrider Foundation (Aus) provide education services to encourage smokers to think about the consequences of Butt littering. We encourage smokers to Hold On To Their Butt.
At Surfrider we give away portable ashtrays and sell a more up market model.
We believe there is a market for a gold and diamond jewellery type portable ashtray as a fashion accessory (like a good cigarette lighter.)
We also sell stickers to encourage people to remind smokers to think about Butt disposal. Surfrider ask members of the public to sign a pledge to the Foundation to promise to never ever flick a cigarette butt on the ground again.
"Much of this work, which is very beneficial to the community at large, may be undone in a series of policy changes from government" said Mr Stuart Ball, General Manager of the Surfrider Foundation of Australia.
"When the last reign of law changes were introduced, smokers were forced to smoke outside. The building owners failed, in many cases, to provide receptacles for disposal of ash, matches and Butts. Reports came in of new areas where smokers were congregating and the lack of ash trays caused piles of cigarette butts to be visible on the ground. The Butts are left to poison our waterways and to kill marine life", said Mr Ball.
"The Queensland Government's recent announcement to provide further bans and restrictions on where this habit can be performed, is to be encouraged, but it has left the Foundation wondering whether the changes have been accompanied by arrangements for proper disposal of cigarette waste".
What do government believe will happen? Will the building providers and local government be expected to pick up the tab for providing an ash tray emptying service? Have we even heard of plans to provide ashtrays? What is going to happen? Have we learnt anything at all from the last round of changes and the lack of foresight to provide such a service?
Will the law be changed to ensure that smokers are required to carry a portable ashtray at all times? (similar to dog walkers who have to carry a doggie dunnit plastic bag). Will the Local Government be increasing the number of fines for Butt littering in order to finance this service?
How many people have been fined in Queensland for Butt Littering in the past and was there any change in the figures after the last law change?
"At this stage, one of the results of the changes will be more butts on the ground and eventually washed on to beaches!" Mr Ball said.
More information about the Hold On To Your Butt program
(including statistics) and other Surfrider Foundation initiatives
are available on request.
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