Cigarette butt disposal bins are being installed in West Vancouver—three locations in Ambleside and three locations in Horseshoe Bay—as a pilot initiative starting April 2022.
Over 5,000 cigarette butts were picked up during shoreline cleanup events in West Vancouver in 2019 and 2020. When littered, cigarette butts enter waterways and leach toxic chemicals and microplastics. Additionally, carelessly discarded butts can cause fires.
Council directed staff to implement this pilot project as part of the District’s ongoing initiatives to reduce cigarette litter. Staff will report back with the results of the initiative in 2023.
The cigarette butt bins will be attached to existing streetside recycling bins and will be installed in locations that are in compliance with the District’s Smoking Regulation Bylaw that have been observed by staff to be high-smoking areas.
Once the new pilot bins have been installed, they will be regularly serviced and maintained by the District’s collection contractor. The District will work closely with the contractor to monitor the initiative and ensure it is working effectively.
If you aren’t near a butt bin, extinguish your cigarette first and then dispose of the butt in a garbage can, district advises.
This is great news ,will clean up streets and sidewalks 👏👏