Keep Bossier Beautiful (KBB) has been granted
$20,000 by Keep America Beautiful® (KAB) to implement a cigarette litter prevention
and recycling project in Bossier Parish. The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program
(CLPP), created by KAB in 2002, is the nation’s largest program aimed at eliminating
cigarette litter.
On any given day, there are 9.7 billion cigarette butts along US roadsides. Tobacco
products are the most commonly littered item in Louisiana. Communities implementing
a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program consistently reduce cigarette litter by half based
on measurements taken in the first four to six months after the program is implemented.
“Through this generous grant funding, KBB will address the many aspects of cigarette
litter in our communities,” said Executive Director Lynn Bryan. “Our work will combine
educational messaging with tangible resources like personal pocket disposal ashtrays
and cigarette receptacles that people can use to make a difference in the area’s
cigarette litter problem.”
Research shows many smokers do not realize that cigarette filters don’t break down
naturally and will persist in the environment for decades when littered. Educating
smokers and removing this litter from our communities through organized cleanups is
just the beginning of keeping cigarette butts off of our roadways and out of our
waterways. Keep Bossier Beautiful staff and volunteers will also collect cigarette butts
from all receptacles and ship them for recycling.