Cigarette disposal bins proposed for Ambleside, Horseshoe Bay

District of West Vancouver Council has directed staff to implement a cigarette butt disposal bins pilot project in the community.

Six outdoor ashtrays will be placed on existing streetside recycling bins in Ambleside and Horseshoe Bay.

In Horseshoe Bay, two are proposed on Bay Street, and one on Keith Road. In Ambleside, one bin is proposed on 16th Street, and two on Bellvue Avenue.

However, staff will first discuss the locations with the business association and then confirm these locations.

The staff has not previously installed cigarette butt bins as it is challenging to find appropriate locations where smoking is permitted.

Managing the quantity of cigarette butt litter can also be problematic.

District of West Vancouver mayor Mary-Ann Booth had put forward a motion in June asking the staff to explore options on installing cigarette butt disposal bins in the community

West Vancouver also plans to support a public education campaign to encourage a general reduction in cigarette waste and connect people to resources to help them quit smoking.

The staff has identified cigarette butts as a prevalent type of litter collected in beach cleanups in West Vancouver.

During the Mayor’s Community Cleanup events in 2019 and 2021, for example, volunteers provided feedback that a significant amount of litter picked up during these events was cigarette butts.

According to the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, over 5,000 cigarette butts were picked up during shoreline cleanup events in the district in 2019 and 2020.