A West Australian council is handing out free pocket ashtrays to reduce the huge number of cigarette butts discarded every day.
The City of Bunbury launched the No Butts Bunbury campaign this week, depositing 3,000 pocket ashtrays at bars, cafes and visitor centres.
Melanie Turnbull, a Waste Services project officer with the city council, said the devices were discreet and literally fitted inside a pocket.
The pocket ashtrays are often used in cars because, unlike 20 to 30 years ago, new cars do not typically have built-in ashtrays now.
"The [pocket] ashtray is a handy portable device so you're not throwing them on the floor or out the window," she said.
"And you can take them to a bin later and dispose of them properly."
500 butts in 30 mins
Before the campaign began, the council collected butts from two beachside car parks to see how many were discarded.
"Just from those car parks for half an hour we picked up over 500 cigarette butts," she said.
"So, it is a bit of a problem. I think people just don't realise that they're not degradable, they are actually plastic.
"When they're lying around on the streets, they get washed away into drains, and those drains eventually do work their way into waterways."
Keep Australia Beautiful WA (KABWA) provided the City of Bunbury with a grant to fund the initiative.
Michael Aspinall, chairperson of KABWA, said this was the first time pocket ashtrays have been provided by a local government.
"I think it's a good initiative — I think it makes people more aware of it, if they've got one of these in their pockets," he said.
"Fewer people are smoking these days, which is a great sign, but there still seems to be plenty of cigarette butts.
"I think some people just don't think, they subconsciously do it."
