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KAB Litter Study

Roadway Litter Down 54% Since 2009

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Keep Virginia Beautiful is part of a network of 700 state and community-based affiliates of Keep America Beautiful®, who recently announced the summary of its 2020 study on litter in America.

The Keep America Beautiful 2020 National Litter Study provides a detailed understanding of the quantity, composition, and sources of litter across the United States. The organization’s 2020 study is a follow up to its landmark 2009 study, which builds on a history of science-based litter research started by Keep America Beautiful in 1969.

Key findings include:

  • Nearly 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways
  • Slightly more litter along waterways (25.9B) than roadways (23.7B)
  • 152 items for each U.S. resident
  • More than 2,000 pieces of litter per mile (both roadway and waterway)
  • 90% of people surveyed believe litter is a problem in their state
  • 6 billion pieces more than 4 inches in size
  • Most littered item remains cigarette butts, although this litter is down almost 70%
  • 207.1M PPE items littered

Keep America Beautiful retained Burns & McDonnell, a leading environmental engineering firm, to conduct its 2020 Study, which has four components: Public Attitudes Survey, Visible Litter Survey, Behavioral Observations Survey, and Financial Cost of Litter Survey (ongoing).

Dr. Helen Lowman, Keep America Beautiful President and CEO said, “I am thrilled to continue the history of Keep America Beautiful as the leader in litter research in the United States, and methodology that has now been used around the world.  This data will help inform our programs for years to come addressing both litter on the ground and the act of littering.”

Sponsors of the Keep America Beautiful 2020 National Litter Study include dozens of individuals, corporations, industry groups, and foundations highlighting our belief in the strength of bringing everyone to the table. The largest supporters include Altria, American Beverage Association, American Chemistry Council, Dow, Food Packaging Institute, Garver Hilyard Black Foundation, National Association of Convenience Stores, Plastics Industry Association, and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco.

The full summary of the Keep America Beautiful® report is available here.

The good news is that litter IS solvable!  The 54% reduction in roadside litter since 2009 is phenomenal, and the 2009 study shows a 61% reduction since 1969.  We can work together to conquer the litter problem!  Visit our website for ways you can be involved, and take the pledge to put litter and recyclables in their place, reduce-reuse-refuse-recycle, and teach others to do the same!

Leaves and Money

Get Green Money!

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Leaves and MoneyThis is the last week that we’re accepting applications for our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program, so what are you waiting for?  Get your online application form submitted before midnight, April 30th!

Do you have a business or organization that is tired of cigarette butts on the ground?  One of the categories for grant funds is Cigarette Litter Prevention.  Cigarette Butts are the most littered item in the world!  They do not biodegrade and fade away harmlessly; cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, which is a form of plastic that does not go away, and they contain toxic chemicals.  Although small, they move with the rain across streets and parking lots, into storm drains, and into our beautiful waterways.  Did you know that cigarette butts can be recycled?  Learn more about Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, and how Terracycle turns cigarette waste products into usable products.  Then apply for a Cigarette Litter Prevention Green Grant if it’s a good fit for your business or organization!

Do you belong to a Scouting group, faith organization, or school PTO? Another category we’re awarding grant funds for is Recycling.  The first thought that comes to mind is the blue bins with the chasing arrows recycling symbol on the side – and those are very useful!  But there is much more to recycling these days, it’s not just about cardboard and paper.  Plastic produce and checkout bags, dry cleaning bags, package wrap, bread wrappers and more can all be kept out of the landscape and landfill by recycling them.  Many stores across the state, such as Giant, Food Lion, Kroger, Target, and Staples will accept the bags you bring to them.  Repurposing is another form of Recycling.  Could your group host a “Fix-it Fair” where handymen and women repair items that may otherwise be added to the landfill?  Or repurposing items for art, if you know a group that would have that talent and ability!

The two other categories for Green Grant awards is Community Beautification and Litter Prevention.  Check out our webpage to learn more, and get your applications submitted before the April 30th deadline!

Money Tree

What Would You Do With $1,000?

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Money TreeThat’s the question we ask this time of year as we launch our 30 in 30 Green Grants Program.  What would you do with a grant of $500, $750, or $1,000 to improve the natural and scenic environment in your community?  To give you some inspiration, here are the results of three of the Green Grants awards the judges chose for 2020.

The City of Norton in Southwest Virginia applied for a grant in the Cigarette Litter Prevention (CLPP) category.  They targeted an area in Downtown Norton where there was an abundance of cigarette butts littered on the ground.  They did a scan of the area and picked up 1,365 butts in August.  They installed 12 cigarette butt receptacles in the area, and did a second scan about a month later.  They only found 16 cigarette butts after the installation of the receptacles!  They also handed out 50 pocket ashtrays to citizens at a farmer’s market, city hall, and their community center.

The Friends of Bryan Park in Richmond saw a need to reduce the number of recyclable bottles and cans that were being thrown in the trash cans near a public athletic field.  A team of volunteers routinely sorted out the bottles and cans from the trash, estimating that approximately 340 cans and bottles were being thrown away each week.  They applied for a Green Grant to purchase five recycling bins to be placed at the most active locations at Parker Field.  After a 5-week pilot project, 1,700 cans and bottles were collected in the recycle bins – success!

In a “think outside the box” way, Keep Prince William Beautiful in Woodbridge hosted a Fix It Fair last Summer.  Their grant application in the Recycling category wanted to offer community members an opportunity to bring broken items to determine if they could be repaired instead of being thrown out and added to the landfill.  With the help of nine skilled “fixers” and several volunteers, they were able to successfully repair items brought to the Fix It Fair, including wooden and metal furniture, bicycles, jewelry, clothing, televisions, computers, and even a beloved stuffed octopus who was in need of repair.  By holding their fair outdoors, they were able to offer the event within COVID guidelines, and were very happy with the results.

So, what would you do in your community with a Green Grant?  Applications are now being accepted!

Cigarette Butt Receptacle

Some Good News About Cigarette Litter Prevention

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As prevalent as cigarette butt litter is, we don’t have to shrug our shoulders and give up.  There is much we can do to educate the public and provide opportunities for improvement.  Here is one of the success stories that we’re proud to tell you about.

Town Centre Park in the Town of Kilmarnock, has nine acres of lush green space, with picnic areas, fields, and playgrounds for public use. But they were struggling with the problem of cigarette butt litter. Their Mayor and staff were going to the park every day to pick up cigarette butts, and gathered hundreds of butts each week! They were surprised to see that visitors to the park tossed butts near the children’s areas, vendor lots, and walking paths.

The Town applied for a KVB 30 in 30 Green Grant, and was selected to receive a $1,000 award to implement a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP). They placed more cigarette butt receptacles in high traffic transition points, and two informational signs at the entrance to the children’s areas. They also posted signs to educate the public that cigarette butts do not biodegrade, and should be properly disposed of instead of thrown on the ground.

Several months later we were delighted to receive a report from the Town saying that their “Don’t Be a Butt” campaign was very successful! They reduced the amount of littered cigarette butts from hundreds per week, to NONE on the ground around the children’s area in the matter of nine weeks!

Our Green Grants program will begin accepting grant applications again in Spring of 2021 for programs and projects such as the one in Kilmarnock.

Until then, we are giving away Cigarette Butt Receptacles to businesses or organizations who have a need, and will maintain them.  Enter your name today!

Cigarette Fairy Poster

Spoiler Alert – There Is No Cigarette Fairy

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One of our affiliates, Keep Manassas Beautiful, launched a campaign suggesting that the “Cigarette Fairy” just can’t keep up with the most littered item in our landscape and storm drains.  The purpose of their campaign was to add a litter humor while engaging residents to improve their community through litter prevention.  With funding awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful’s Green Grants, their first Cigarette Litter Prevention Program raised awareness of new littering ordinances, and reminded citizens about the proper way to dispose of their cigarette litter.

However, I’m sorry to say, there is no Cigarette Fairy.  There is no magic solution, folks.  Just common sense.  There’s so much we can do; there’s so much that YOU can do!  We hope that you’ll use our website as a resource for many things — to participate in events as they become available again, or Adopt-a-Highway to clean up a stretch of road (and get your name on a VDOT sign!), or support us financially so we can continue to educate the public and put the right tools in your hands.

Speaking of tools you can use, if you’re an adult smoker who would like a pocket ashtray, all you have to do is take the pledge not to litter, and we’ll send you one for free.  If you are the owner of a business or organization that would benefit from a Cigarette Butt Receptacle to deter cigarette litter, enter your name before August 31st to be included in our drawing for one of ten receptacles.

A Litter Study conducted by Keep America Beautiful revealed that smokers are more likely to litter if the environment contains any type of litter, not just cigarette butts. More littered environments encourage more littering.  A clean street, parking lot, playground, and community encourages others to behave responsibly.  Let us know that you would like to receive one of ten Cleanup Kits that we’re giving away this month!

*Credits for bringing the Cigarette Fairy to life go to the talented artistry of Heather Maltby-Goble’s and Evolution Printing.  See more about Keep Manassas Beautiful’s campaign.

Scenic Bench

Can You Recycle Cigarette Butts?

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You probably know the bad things that happen with discarded cigarette butts, since they are the most littered item in America – the world, actually.  But we’d like for you to know that there is something positive that can be done with cigarette butts when they are properly collected and recycled.  Yes, recycled!

TerraCycle is a company that recycles many things – you’d be surprised!  And one of them is cigarette waste.  Individuals and organizations can send cigarettes, cigarette butts, cigarette filters, loose tobacco pouches, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper, and ash to TerraCycle.   (Cigarette boxes made from paper can be recycled through main stream, local programs.)  What do they DO with it?  Good question.

The cigarette butts are sorted by their different materials:  left over tobacco, paper, and the filter.  Any remaining tobacco and the paper around the filter are composted.  (Compost turns into beautiful, rich soil that’s great for growing plants.)  The filter part of a cigarette butt is NOT a naturally biodegradable product.  It is made of a white synthetic fiber called, cellulose acetate, which is then melted and made into pellets.

So what good are pelletized cigarette filters?  They are combined with other plastics and used to make things like shipping pallets and benches.  Who knew?  Now YOU know.  And now you can do something about the cigarette litter problem.

If you own a business or are with an organization that could benefit from a cigarette receptacle to collect and recycle! or properly dispose of cigarette waste, we’re giving away ten cigarette butt receptacles during the month of August.  All you need to do is enter your name on this form before midnight August 31, 2020.  A receptacle will be shipped directly to you!  Then YOU can start making a difference in your community.

We are also giving away a pocket ashtray to anyone who requests one, while supplies last.  Simply go to our website to take the pledge to Keep Virginia Beautiful by disposing of your cigarette butts responsibly, and give us your name and mailing address on the form provided.  We will mail you a pocket ashtray!

 

Cigarette Butts

Put Your Butt Where it Belongs

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Yes, you’ve seen the cigarette butt tossed out of a car window at the stop light, or flicked onto the ground.  But do you know what happens to those cigarette butts after they’re littered?  The get washed by the rain into the storm drains, and eventually into the waterways of Virginia.

Some people thing that a cigarette butt is made of natural fibers that will dissolve before it does any harm, or that it’s biodegradable.

Some people think that a cigarette butt is so small that it can’t do much harm.

But those small cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, and they do not biodegrade!  They accumulate and clog!  Cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S. and across the globe. Dropping cigarette butts and cigar tips to the ground, putting them in planters, and disposing of them in waterways is littering.

Most cigarette littering happens at “transition points.” Tobacco products are most often littered in areas where a smoker must extinguish what they’re smoking before proceeding, such as outside of a retail store, a restaurant, bars, and office buildings. They also litter them when accessing beaches, parks, recreation areas, and especially at roadside rest areas and parking lots.  A cigarette butt receptacle can make a huge impact at those areas — these transition points.

So we want to help you tackle those transition points!  If you have a business or work with a business or public space where cigarette litter is a problem, submit your name to be entered in a drawing for a cigarette butt receptacle.  Then make the commitment to make a difference!  Ten names will be chosen this month to receive a standing receptacle shipped directly to you at no cost.

 

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I did my part for Earth Day…what are you going to do?

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I stare at the same small 1/4 acre sized wetland everyday I am at the office.  I watch the geese eat the grass, the birds splash in the water, the lizards sunning themselves, etc.  I have also watched the trash/litter increase exponentially so I figured with today being Earth Day, it was the perfect opportunity to do my part….

After 2 hours of very dirty work, I am happy to say my sweet little wetland is clean!  Now I am not writing this to feel good about myself, I am writing this so that next Earth Day I don’t have to go out and clean out 100 lbs of trash and 458 cigarette butts from 1/4 acre wetland!

I realize that we all live busy lives so what I am asking is not that you go out and clean-up a wetland (although if your are inclined please do) what I am asking is that you don’t litter and that you take the time to teach the younger generation that litter hurts!

Every week I get at least one email from someone who is fed-up with all the trash and litter.  They have told me that they videoed people dumping couches into a stream near their home while another nearly everyday clean-ups around the same city block and still brings home 2 garbage bag loads of litter.  I believe I have told you before that my family picks up trash every time we go to the beach and inevitably one of my kids ask why there is so much trash…I really don’t know!

I grew up in the day when the Owl told me to “Give a hoot, don’t pollute”, as did the Crying Indian.  The other night on TV I saw a commercial with a young band doing a public service announcement about cigarette butt litter and how damaging it is.  Honestly, I am surprised we still need these reminders!  It is not just the big companies that dump oil or toxins that harm our environment…its the things we do as well.  One cigarette can pollute 1 gallon of water enough to kill one fish.  A glass bottle takes 1 million years to bio-degrade.  Plastic bags are now the second most littered item (behind cigarette butts) and kill more sea and bird life than anything else.  We all have to do our part and it does not have to be great to make an impact…one million small acts are greater than 1 large act!

Ok, I will get off my soapbox for the time being but please remember that all litter hurts.  So remember to care for the Earth (at this point we have no where else to relocate to) and all its creatures!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

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