Keep PA Beautiful Reports 43% Cigarette Litter Reduction In 5 State Parks

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Tuesday reported a 43 percent combined reduction in cigarette litter in five state parks receiving a grant as a result of the 2016 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.

With a $20,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful partnered with Fish and Boat Commission and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to implement the program in five Pennsylvania State Parks with recreational lakes including Bald Eagle, Kooser, Moraine, Prince Gallitzin and Pymatuning.

An initial scan of cigarette litter was conducted before installing cigarette litter trash receptacles.  A follow up scan of the program areas was conducted after the receptacles were in place for two months.

The results reported a 43 percent combined reduction in cigarette butts, with Pymatuning reaching a 62 percent reduction.

“Cigarette Litter Receptacles made an immediate and noticeable reduction of waste throughout the many of the Pymatuning State Park day use areas. On behalf of DCNR, I would like to thank Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful for this important program to keep State Parks attractive for our many visitors,” said Daniel K. Bickel, Park Operations Manager, DCNR, Pymatuning State Park.

Additionally, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful conducted education and outreach to 65 charter boat and fishing guides in the program area which are permitted by the Fish & Boat Commission and provided Neshaminy State Park with bucket ash trays and pocket ashtrays for distributing to visitors to the park.

The state park participated in the cigarette litter scan in previous years.

“The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is a proven tool to address the number one littered item in America. With support from Keep America Beautiful, we demonstrated that with the appropriate tools and resources, we really can change people’s behavior when it comes to cigarette litter,” explained Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.  “Through public education and access to receptacles, we are lessening the effect that cigarette litter has on our lands and waterways.”

Tobacco products, consisting mainly of cigarette butts, are the most littered item in America, representing nearly 38 percent of all items littered, according to "Litter in America," KAB’s landmark study of litter and littering behavior.

Over the past 10 years, the CLPP has consistently cut cigarette butt litter by approximately half based on local measurements taken in the first four months to six months after program implementation.

Survey results also demonstrated that as communities continue to monitor the program those reductions are sustained or even increased over time.

Visit the KPB Cigarette Litter Prevention Program webpage for more background.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s new Electronics Waste website.
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