The Shoalhaven community is being urged to bin your butts to Keep Australia Beautiful (KAB) this KAB week.
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KAB Week 2016 runs from August 22-28 and will focus on Australia’s ongoing fight against litter.
For almost half a century KAB has been on the forefront in the fight litter and this year, cigarette butts are in firing line.
According to the latest National Litter Index survey (NLI) 2015/16, cigarette butts make up 43 percent of all littered items.
CEO of Keep Australia Beautiful, Philip Robinson said, “KAB Week 2016 is highlighting that cigarette butts are no small problem.”
“Litter is in our hands and we want to bring the issue of cigarette butts to the forefront.
“They are Australia’s most littered item, with 7 billion of them dropped every year.
“We want all Aussies to Do The Right Thing and put your butt in the bin.”
The 2015/16 NLI survey found 9 percent less litter across Australia than in the same period last year.
“This is no small feat, and we applaud Australians who do the right thing and use the right bin,” Mr Robinson said.
Voting-style ballot cigarette butt bins have been installed at various locations around Australia, including North Beach, Wollongong, for KAB week and allow users to ‘vote’ on questions such as: “Who will win in a fight: Emu or Kangaroo?” and “Favourite breakfast food: Bacon or Tofu.”
The user chooses one of two receptacles to dispose of their cigarette butt. Each receptacle has a window to display the used butts, creating a public opinion poll.
The bins are designed to promote smokers to Do The Right Thing with their butts and encourage long-term behaviour change.