By Chris Marzella

Copyright dailyrecord

A campaign to cleanse the streets of Stirling from the blight of discarded cigarette butts has been launched. Go Forth Stirling BID has teamed up with Keep Britain Tidy in a bid to eradicate cigarette waste, encouraging smokers to ‘Bin Your Butts’. The environmental charity has supplied the BID (Business Improvement District) with sand-filled bucket bins, posters and butt boxes for smokers, featuring their well-known Drake the Duck character, to be distributed at hospitality venues and upcoming events. This initiative is part of a broader campaign aimed at addressing the UK’s largest source of litter – cigarette butts. According to the charity, millions of cigarette butts – which contain over 7,000 different chemicals – are discarded on the ground daily, causing environmental harm by breaking down into microplastics and releasing toxins into the soil and waterways. The anti-litter drive kicked off on Saturday, September 20, and will continue until Tuesday, September 30, highlighting the damage caused by cigarette butts, which are made of plastic and do not biodegrade, and urging smokers to dispose of them responsibly. Fiona McMillan, Go Forth’s Community Engagement and Business Improvement Officer, expressed her enthusiasm about the project: “We’re thrilled to once again be working with Keep Britain Tidy as part of their national campaign to help reduce cigarette litter across the country. “Our anti-smoking litter intervention began at the weekend to coincide with Stirling Pride and various events which mark the return of the University of Stirling’s student population. Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area. “During this busy time, many residents and visitors will be out and about increasing the likelihood of cigarette litter across Stirling. To help mitigate that, we’ve been distributing ‘Bin Your Butts’ bins, posters and butt boxes which are portable containers smokers can use to stub out and contain their cigarette butts when there is no bin nearby. “We’ve handed them out to local pubs and at the University and hope smokers will take the time to ‘Bin their Butts’ everywhere they go in Stirling.” Keep Britain Tidy’s evidence-based initiatives in Scotland have proven to slash cigarette littering by 63 per cent on average – by offering smokers appropriate disposal solutions at the crucial moment. Go Forth participated in a comparable Keep Britain Tidy initiative last April, working alongside Stirling’s Pubwatch group members, which slashed cigarette littering by 54 per cent through placing bucket bins outside licensed venues. This year’s initiative includes packages for establishments and gatherings featuring A4-sized posters urging smokers to ‘Bin Your Butts’ and promoting the message that ‘Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish’ alongside bucket bins and butt boxes – crafted from recycled plastic – for smokers to properly dispose of their cigarette ends. The Go Forth team have been hard at work, distributing kits to various venues including Hotel Colessio, Slanj-a-Va, Premier Inn, Molly Malones and The Golden Lion, as well as placing posters at bus stops. They are hopeful that these efforts will significantly influence smokers’ habits during upcoming events like Stirling Cocktail Week, which kicks off on Friday, September 26. The campaign also aims to enhance the overall aesthetic of Stirling, making the city centre a more inviting place for businesses, shoppers and tourists – a key objective of the BID. Ms McMillan stated: “The cleanliness and appearance of the city centre is a key concern for our business community and something we are always looking to improve upon in a variety of ways. “Helping Keep Britain Tidy by distributing their kits to venues and events across Stirling is a great way to tackle cigarette waste and the environmental damage it causes.” Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy, added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Go Forth Stirling once again to tackle cigarette litter. “Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the UK, and their impact on the environment and our wellbeing is far greater than many realise. This year, we’re providing businesses with simple, easy-to-implement kits that share the message ‘Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish’ and make it easier for smokers to dispose of their butts responsibly. “By offering practical solutions right where they’re needed, we can reduce cigarette litter and create cleaner, more welcoming streets for everyone.” Stirling Council Leader, Cllr Gerry McGarvey stated: “Cigarette butts are the world’s biggest source of litter and are hugely challenging for our staff to clean up. As well as impacting the appearance of Stirling’s historic and vibrant city centre, cigarette waste also causes significant environmental harm. “With thousands of visitors attending major events in Stirling or simply enjoying a night out in town, this is a great time to raise awareness of this important issue and change smokers’ behaviour. Working together in this campaign, we are determined to reduce cigarette littering in our beautiful city so we can make it a cleaner, greener and better place for everyone.”