Smokers dropping cigarette butts on Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) grounds have been handed on-the-spot penalties of £80 as part of a renewed drive to reduce hospital litter.
Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have been issued in recent weeks, following the UHB’s decision to renew its contract with City of Cardiff Council, allowing Waste Education and Enforcement Officers on site.
Anyone dropping litter on the grounds (both inside and out) can be penalised under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The UHB is promoting the initiative to support its No Smoking Policy, which forbids smoking on all of its sites.
Suzy Collins is Reception Manager at UHW’s Emergency Unit. She said: “Cigarette butts make the hospital look unclean and the smoke that gets into the Emergency Unit can be sickening. Hopefully this will deter people from smoking outside the entrance.”
While toxic smoke is the main hazard of smoking, causing potential harm to vulnerable patients, discarded butts are unpleasant and expensive to clean up.
Waste from food packaging adds to the debris; however the main source of litter is from cigarettes, especially around hospital entrances including the Maternity Unit at University Hospital of Wales (UHW).
Wayne Jones, a City of Cardiff Council employee, is one of the officers assigned to the health board. He is working with the UHB’s No Smoking Enforcement Officer to focus on smoking hotspots.
Wayne said: “We are patrolling known areas to educate offenders about waste disposal and are issuing FPNs to anyone seen dropping litter.
”In just one afternoon, I alone have issued hundreds of pounds’ worth of FPNs. One was to a taxi driver dropping a cigarette butt out the window and another was to a visitor discarding her cigarette as she made her way towards the hospital entrance. Some have dropped other items such as coffee cups.”
Director of Public Health Dr Sharon Hopkins welcomes the news: “Most people understand why smoking on hospital grounds is not permitted and are respectful of our policy.
“The build-up of cigarette butts sends the message that smoking is acceptable on site, but this could not be further from the truth. We are pleased to work with the council to make this message loud and clear.”
