smokers working together towards a cleaner planet

Amidst the cigarette litter crisis, Yvette Bishop says: “Let’s work together to make our planet cleaner – even if you are a smoker.”

Cigarette litter is a hazard to our environment, with trillions of cigarette butts tossed out every year worldwide

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world, and across the UK it is estimated that 122 tonnes of smoking-related litter are dropped every day by smokers.

In 2018 alone, cigarette butts were found on 80.3% of streets in Wales and as smoking simmers in city centres, the need for sustainable and healthy recycling of cigarette litter is increasing day by day.

Since the smoking ban in 2007, its prevalence among the public has fallen by 6%. Regardless of this decline, according to cigarette waste business, My Ashtray, there will always be dedicated smokers who will never stop smoking or people who will smoke for a time. Therefore, there will always be litter caused by smoking.

In discussing the topic with the founder of My Ashtray, Yvette Bishop said: “Successive governments have been focused correctly on educating people so they either stop smoking or never start.” But what about the litter caused by those who do smoke?

“Butts are tossed in garden pots, stubbed out in sewage drains, or chucked beside mounds of bagged litter outside buildings.” says Yvette, “The smokers who dispose of this waste are almost demonised and deemed antisocial, for disregarding waste in an unhealthy way, and further making our streets look unclean.”

My Ashtray, the silenced brand that is clearing an innovative pathway for future cigarette waste disposal.

My Ashtray is a company that has issued small pocket ashtrays that allow you to dispose of your fags fuss-free, in an eco-friendly manner, at a later date. My Ashtray is providing means of enabling a healthy planet and ensuring that smokers can also be a part of the movement.

According to Friends of the Earth Cymru “Plastic filters can take up to 12 years to degrade and cigarette butts leak toxins that contaminate water and harm marine life and the environment.”

Smoking statistics:

83% of the population of Wales is already smoke-free
60% of smokers want to quit
A classroom of children take up smoking every day in Wales
Smoking costs the NHS 302 million pounds each year
9% of 15-16-year-olds smoke at least once a week
21% of adults from the most deprived areas of Wales smoke compared to 13% among the least deprived

Legislations:

Children’s playgrounds, school grounds and hospital grounds will be smoke-free from summer 2019
There are 3 smoke-free beaches in the UK, all of which are in Wales: 2 in Swansea and one in Pembrokeshire
Plain packaging became law in May 2016
Smoking in cars when someone under the age of 18 is present became against the law in October 2015
Point of sale display became law in December 2012 for large shops and April 2015 for smaller stores
The smoking ban in enclosed public places came into force in Wales in April 2007, a few months before England
Since the smoking ban in 2007, smoking prevalence among the public has fallen by 6%
Prevalence among teenage boys has fallen by 6% and by 14% among teenage girls since the 2007 legislation

Bare in mind when disposing of your cigarette waste:

Cigarette butts dropped in the street fall down drains and eventually find their way into the waterways and the sea.
Cigarette filters contain harmful chemical ingredients including arsenic, lead and nicotine that pollute our waterways
Butts are not biodegradable as they contain plastic that can stay in the environment for up to 15 years.
The toxins in tobacco residue endanger animals that ingest them.
One cigarette butt left to soak in water for 96 hours will release enough toxins to kill half of the salt or freshwater fish that are exposed to it
Discarded cigarette butts often get caught between paving stones or trapped in tree grates. They are expensive and difficult to clean up

Ash. Cymru:

Ash. Cymru is a leading organisation working towards a smoke-free Wales. Aiming to get the population of smokers in Wales down to 5% and are 17% away from their goal.

Ash. Cymru hopes that by raising awareness of the environmental impact of discarded cigarette butts it might encourage people to quit (or not start to begin with), if not for their health then for the planet.

My Ashtray

“’My Ashtray Is a reusable personal pocket ashtray which is a great little anti litter device designed to store cigarette butts until they can be disposed of properly. It is a soft, lightweight pouch with a fireproof lining to extinguish cigarettes and lock in odour. It can easily fit into a pocket or bag. Our portable pocket ashtrays come in a range of colours.”

“With the £80 litter fines upon us, we need to be more careful with what is done with the cigarette butt.”

My Ashtray is a silenced brand for the reason that they are considered to condone smoking. This disables the brand to advertise and sell its innovative approach to a healthy planet.

You can find My Ashtray pocket ashtrays at London clubs, major yacht companies and UK festivals. My Ashtray is backed by some of the biggest companies in the world but are unnamed due to their wish to not be tied with the condoning of smoking.

Here are some more smoking-related articles you can find on Alt.Cardiff

No more digs at cigs, as pocket ashtrays change the stigma surrounding smokers

Amidst the cigarette litter crisis, Yvette Bishop says: “Let’s work together to make our planet cleaner – even if you are a smoker.”