Upload
jack-mosgrove
View
219
Download
3
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Cigarette Litter Management City of Melbourne
Shelley IkinEnvironmental Engineer
The City of Melbourne
• Area of 36.5 sq km
• CBD, Southbank and surrounding suburbs
• Large sporting, entertainment and tourist venues
• Universities
• Residential population of 58,031 people
• Daytime working and visiting population of 567,000.
Integrated program for cigarette litter
• Based on an integrated approach as promoted by VLAA– Research
– Legislation and enforcement
– Education and communications
– Incentives
– Infrastructure
Research
Cigarette littering: Research undertaken
• Study of disposal behaviour, using the observational approach– 56% of smokers dispose correctly in the CBD
• Litter counts– Cigarette butts make up 36% of all littered items
Proportions of Littered Items on the Ground
Cigarette littering: Research undertaken
• Walking surveys and staff and community input to identify litter hot spots
• Identified target market: CBD workers/visitors & students
Lessons Learnt from research
• Important to understand the problem (scale, litter hot spots, cigarette disposal behaviour) and target market before delivering a program
• Observational studies more useful than litter counts
Legislation & Enforcement
Environment Protection Act 1970
• Authorises EPA, local government & police to issue on-the-spot fines of:– $100 for dropping a butt;– $200 for dropping a lit cigarette; or– Up to $6000 if taken to court.
• Since June 2003, 60 fines and hundreds of warnings issued by Council.
Environment Local Law 1999
• Non residential properties are required to:– Contain cigarette litter; and – Maintain the cleanliness of their area.
• Penalties of up to $500 for failing to comply
Kerbside Café Code
• Windproof ashtrays must be utilised in outdoor dining areas
• Uphold the cleanliness of the kerbside café site
• Kerbside café debris, litter or waste must not be swept into stormwater drains
• Failure to supply windproof ashtrays is a breach of kerbside cafe permit
Lessons Learnt: Legislation & Enforcement
• Avoid issuing infringement notices for littering in locations where bin facilities are inadequate
• Best to apply enforcement after an education campaign
• Enforcement program needs to be sustained
Education & Communications
Education campaigns for smokers
• Focused on CBD workers, visitors & students
• “Clean Up Your Butts” campaign, 2003
• “Can you afford to litter?” - Mock fines, 2003
• “No Butts About It This is Litter” campaign, 2004
Education campaigns for businesses
• Education stepped up with amendment to Environment Local Law in 2003
• Letters sent to every non-residential property
• Advice and assistance on how to comply
• Ashtrays supplier list
Education campaigns for kerbside cafés
• One windproof ashtray given to each café, together with a list of suppliers
• Letters to kerbside cafés informing of new requirement
• Council Officers delivered uncollected ashtrays
• Media and promotion of the windproof design
Using the media
• Issuing fines elicits media attention
• Media releases for all education campaigns –statistics to grab people’s attention
• Radio interviews
Lessons Learnt: Education & Communications
• Need for continual reinforcement of message to achieve a long term behavioural change
• Difficult to integrate the program across all divisions in a large organisation
• Follow education programs with an enforcement program
• Need to evaluate the success of education campaigns and report results both internally & externally
Incentives
Incentives
• Incentives offer an opportunity to engage people
• Free / discounted personal ashtrays• One free windproof ashtray as a
demonstration• Lollies: for those observed doing the
right thing
Lessons Learnt: Incentives
• Education campaigns have worked best when an incentive is offered
• Providing free personal ashtrays has delayed the establishment of the retail market in Melbourne
Infrastructure
Council’s infrastructure
• 100 ashtrays mounted on parking signs
• 100 ashtrays at tram stops
• Street litter bins with cigarette ashtray insert
Private Infrastructure
• Observed increase in private ashtrays
• Limitations: – Smokers congregate at entrances– Ashtrays cannot encroach beyond the
property boundary and need to be away from entrances
– cost ($100 - $350 per wall-mounted ashtray)– theft
Lessons Learnt: Infrastructure
• Provide line of sight to litter bins
• Test prototypes of infrastructure
• Ashtrays must be provided in areas where smokers congregate
• Site specific solutions are often best
• Communicate the locations of ashtrays to staff
• Keep areas clean and provide adequate servicing of ashtrays to help improve disposal behaviour
Future Direction
• Continuing education programs: varying the way messages are conveyed
• Strive to better integrate all elements of the program across the organisation
• Evaluate the success of the overall program