2024 Green Grants Award #22 Goes to The Town of St. Paul for $1,000

Photograph of the Clinch River with trees and a blue skyCongratulations to the Town of St. Paul for their $1,000 Green Grants to tackle Cigarette Litter!

The Town of St. Paul is located within deep South West Virginia where the coalfields meet the bluegrass. As a Town of approximately 1,000 citizens, St. Paul offers the best small-town living in the heart of the Clinch River Valley. St. Paul is home of the Clinch River, which is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. They invite people to come and relax or to experience outdoor adventure through Spearhead Trails, Oxbow Lake, and the Clinch River State Park.

Last year, the Town purchased new cigarette butt receptacles to be placed at Downtown Businesses to address the cigarette butt litter that was being left on the ground and in the landscape. Some existing receptacles have broken apart and even caught on fire, which in turn discourages the public from using them to properly dispose of their cigarette butts.  Town staff members have seen an increase in cigarette litter around these receptacles since they are not functioning properly.

The plan for this year is to replace existing receptacles at the Town’s Pool, Oxbow Lake, A.R. Matthews Park, and Town Hall.  Town officials believe that these new receptacles will encourage citizens to properly dispose of their cigarette butt litter. Additionally, upgrading from plastic to metal receptacles would increase the lifespan and mitigate any additional fire damage.

Funds from the Green Grants award will be used to purchase five Metal Smoker’s Receptacles.

This project will encourage members of the public to use these new receptacles instead of ignoring the existing deteriorating ones. As a result, Town employees will spend less time picking up cigarette litter around the existing receptacles and can focus their efforts to cleaning up other portions of town. Additionally, fire related services would decline due to the existing receptacles not catching on fire.

With cigarette butts being the #1 most littered item in the Commonwealth (and the USA, and the world!) we appreciate the Town of St Paul’s willingness to take the effort to increase the availability of cigarette butt receptacles for their residents and visitors.