Cardiff Council has fined 22 people for smoking litter offences during a week-long campaign in partnership with Tidy Towns.
Between September 4 to 11, the Council’s Waste Education Team, focused on educating people about minimising the amount of smoking related waste on the streets of Cardiff.
Hundreds of free portable ashtrays were handed out to smokers to encourage them not to drop their cigarette ends and enforcement officers issued 22 people with Fixed Penalty Notices of £75 for dropping smoking related litter. Failure to pay the fine will result in a case being prepared for prosecution which could result in a maximum fine of £2,500.
The event was part of an ongoing campaign between Cardiff Council, Tidy Towns and Keep Cardiff Tidy to encourage people to take responsibility for their environment. Smokers have reacted positively to the portable ashtrays being handed out and enforcement officers have also noticed a decrease in smoking litter outside businesses across the city who have been given smoking litter bins by Tidy Towns.
Tidy Towns is a joint initiative between Keep Wales Tidy and local authorities in Wales. Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, it aims to change public attitudes to littering and to encourage people to deal with rubbish responsibly.
Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Margaret Jones, said: “The campaign aims to educate smokers and change attitudes. This is not a one off event and enforcement officers can fine people they see dropping litter including cigarette butts at any time. We want people to realise that dropping a cigarette end is no different to throwing away an empty sweet wrapper or tin can, so it should be disposed of responsibly.
“There are facilities in place in Cardiff for people to use. Bins are located across the city centre which are specially designed for the safe disposal of cigarettes. We will continue to proactively tackle litter issues as we strive towards a cleaner city.”
