Butt Free Mitchell and Newell Highways 'Please butt it, then bin it'
NetWaste and 11 member Councils were successful in a funding submission to the independent Butt Littering Trust, to conduct a butt littering prevention campaign along the Mitchell and Newell Highways, with the message of 'Please butt it, then bin it.' $20,000 in funding was received from the Butt Littering Trust, with the total project value exceeding $41,000.
The 'Butt Free Mitchell and Newell Highways' Project aimed to raise awareness and change cigarette butt disposal behaviour of motorists, and reduce the incidences of butt littering along these major NSW roads. Cigarette butts make up 49% of the national litter stream by number with an estimated 7 billion butts entering the environment every year through irresponsible disposal. Littered butts not only look unsightly, but release toxic emissions into water and soil as they decompose.
Outcomes of the Project include:
- Between February and June 2007 1000 personal ashtrays, 1000 butt buckets, 1000 stickers, 1500 information cards, 500 posters, 30 t-shirts and 30 hats were provided across 11 Council areas. Street banners, roadside banners and free-standing displays were rotated around the Council areas
- Permanent ashtrays were installed at 15 target areas along the Mitchell & Newell Highways. These proved to be an effective method of significantly reducing the incidences of butt littering
- Cigarette butt counts at target areas along the highways indicated that butt littering reduced across all the target sites, and the percentage of reduction ranged from 56% to 90%
- A TV commercial aired across the Central and Western areas of NSW for 6 weeks, and promoted the key 'butt free' messages
A copy of the NetWaste 'Butt Free Mitchell & Newell Hwys' Final Report can be downloaded here.
Thank you to the project partners for supporting and contributing to the success of this project:
| Bathurst Regional Council | Warren Shire Council |
| Bourke Shire Council | Wellington Council |
| Cabonne Council | Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW) |
| Dubbo City Council | Forbes Shire Council |
| Narromine Shire Council | Rural Fire Service (NSW) |
| Orange City Council | Parkes Shire Council |
| Local visitor information centres and libraries |
For further information on this project, please contact:
NetWaste Projects Co-ordinator
Ph + 61 2 6393 8770
For further information on the Butt Littering Trust, visit:
www.buttlitteringtrust.org
