Cigarette Litter
Cigarettes are the most littered item globally. An estimated 65% of all cigarettes are tossed on the ground instead of placed in an ashtray or waste receptacle. In Canada, over 8,000 tonnes of cigarette butts are littered each year. Cleanup volunteers collected 560,432 cigarette butts from Canadian shorelines in 2018 to help protect our waterways.
Cigarette filters contain a type of plastic called cellulose acetate, which can take up to 12 years to break down but will not decompose naturally. Cigarettes contain toxic chemicals which can leach into the environment, contaminate water and poison wildlife.
Cigarette litter prevention tips
- Never flick cigarette butts on the ground or out of your vehicle window while driving.
- Look for ashtrays on the top of the City of Hamilton’s garbage receptacles on sidewalks and other outdoor areas.
- Carry a pocket ashtray to safely extinguish and store cigarette butts if there are no ashtrays nearby.
- Cigarette butts can be recycled! Consider if TerraCycle’s Cigarette Waste Recycling program is right for you.
Use a pocket ashtray to reduce litter
Pocket ashtrays are handy tools to help avoid flicking a cigarette butt on the ground. To use a pocket ashtray, simply slide open the pocket ashtray, put your extinguished cigarette inside, then close the pocket ashtray tightly. Empty the pocket ashtray into the garbage when it is full.
Pick up a free pocket ashtray at any of these locations:
- Tourism Hamilton Visitor Centre - for info and hours: www.tourismhamilton.com/visitor-information
- All Hamilton Public Library branch locations. Find locations and hours.
- Municipal Service Centres (City Hall, Ancaster, Dundas, Glanbrook, Stoney Creek, Flamborough)- for info and hours: www.hamilton.ca/government-information/site-policies/municipal-service-centres
Sidewalk Ashtrays
Ashtrays are available in public space where smoking is permitted. Look for pole mounted ashtrays on Barton St E (within Barton Village BIA area) at these locations:
- Barton Street East at Sherman Avenue North (south west corner)
- Barton Street East at Earl Street (north west corner near the bus stop)
- Barton Street East at Wentworth Street North (north east corner)
- Barton Street East at Cheever Street (north east corner)
- Barton Street East at Emerald Street North (north east corner)
- Barton Street East between Victoria Avenue North and Wellington Avenue North
Community Responsibilities
- Only smoke in areas where smoking is permitted under the Smoke Free Ontario Act and the City of Hamilton’s bylaws regulating smoking in public places and workplaces (PDF, 199 KB) and smoking in City parks and recreation areas.
- Always place cigarette butts in an ashtray or garbage receptacle once they are extinguished.
- Business owners may provide ashtrays outside their building and remind customers and employees to use the ashtray.
- Clean the sidewalk in front of your business or home regularly to prevent cigarette butts from piling up.
City Responsibilities
- Provide ashtrays and garbage receptacles in public areas where smoking is permitted.
- Clean and maintain City-owned ashtrays and garbage receptacles on a regular basis.
- Provide resources and training for volunteer groups who want to help clean up cigarette butts and other litter items in parks, roads etc. such as the Team Up to Clean Up program.
- Increase awareness and engage residents and businesses through public education and outreach programs.
- Investigate complaints related to smoking in City parks, recreation areas and other areas where smoking is prohibited under the Smoke Free Ontario Act. Learn more about smoke and vape free areas.
- Hamilton Public Health Services offers programs to help people quit smoking. To learn about the different programs that are available, please visit www.hamilton.ca/tobacco.
The Butt Blitz
On Saturday, April 27, we teamed up with A Greener Future to pick up cigarette butts from Hamilton’s streets, sidewalks and waterfront. Together we picked up over 37,000 cigarette butts to be recycled! Thank you to all the volunteers and supporting organizations who are helping us keep Hamilton clean and green! Visit www.agreenerfuture.ca to learn more and register.
Project Partners & Supporters
The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. We also acknowledge and thank the following organizations for their support: The Keep Hamilton Clean & Green Committee, Downtown BIA, International Village BIA, Barton Village BIA, Green Venture, and A Greener Future.
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