Campaign to cut cigarette litter targets race fans

Campaigners said "toxic" cigarette butts need to be disposed of in bins

A campaign to cut the number of cigarette butts littering the streets in the Isle of Man's capital has been focused on targeting local visiting fans of the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT.

Douglas Council has teamed up with Keep Britain Tidy to highlight the issue through signage, bins and handing out "butt boxes" in partnership with local businesses.

The boxes were available for people to take for free to put their cigarette butts in until they can be put in a bin.

Alison Ogden-Newton from Keep Britain Tidy said the campaign was designed "dramatically cut the number of cigarette butts that are littered" during the racing event.

She said: "Our research shows that 80% of cigarettes that are smoked outdoors are going to be disposed of illegally and improperly."

Cigarette butts are made of plastic, "full of chemicals" that could get into the water course, which was "incredibly toxic", she explained.

'Enormous environmental problem'

She said the campaign was being run during the motorsport events in August intentionally, as "events that are carried on outdoors are going to attract smokers".

Those disposing of the butts might not be unaware of "just how toxic" they were and how damaging it was to drop of them down drains in particular, she continued.

Ms Ogden-Newton said: "A single drain can be the recipient of about 5,000 butts in a year."

"All of those pretty much are going to end up in the water course poisoning around 1,000 litres of water each, so it's an enormous environmental problem," she added.

Signage around Douglas is part of the campaign to clear the city

Over the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT races, she said they hoped to reduce the litter issue by more than 20%.

Douglas Council Leader Devon Watson said although "the impact isn't purely on a city level", it was something that affected residents in the capital.

He said the campaign, which he said cost "a few thousand pounds" to bring to the island, was about "changing the cultural standard around how we handle cigarettes".

Watson said he hoped to continue pushing the campaign's message beyond the racing events and would be "investing into campaigns to reduce the amount of litter".

"We want a tidy city and we want a city that everyone can be proud to live in," he added.

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.