Vinnie on smokers and littering. ⇒
20 July 2010, late evening
Well worth a read.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
20 July 2010, late evening
Well worth a read.
This is a post from my link log: If you click the title of this post you will be taken the web page I am discussing.
Well, since it seems there’s no place to comment on the article you linked to….
There are plenty of public ashtrays in this city. The new garbage bins have a special cigarette hole. Maybe those need to be publicized more? It’s not unusual to see butts pile up around those bins instead of inside of them. Lazy…or just unaware?
There are also portable ash trays available.
When all else fails, extinguish it and put it in your pocket.
No excuses for throwing their garbage on the ground.
by Vic on July 21 2010, 7:39 am #
Hi Vic,
I’m Vinnie (author of that post Ram linked too). Sorry for the lack of commenting capabilities, most of my readers our tumblrers so they have no problem with commenting.
I appreciate your response. I’m going to be brutally honest because I don’t think we can come up with real solutions unless people are honest about their motivations.
I’m part of the problem. Part of it is ignorance part of it is laziness. And you’re right, there is no excuse for littering. But at the same time, the smokers are the ones whose habits you/we need to change and in that regard I think Anil’s original tweet was rather counterproductive.
I don’t know how many times Ram has actually asked me to stop tossing butts on the ground. I don’t recall many instances but who knows, maybe if he insisted, I might consider it, but only because I consider Ram a friend and respect his opinion. (In all honesty, he may have insisted in the past and I just shrugged it off being the dick I am. I really don’t remember)
Thanks for pointing out the ashtrays in the bins. I actually looked closer this time and you’re totally right. My problem was I was unaware. Part of it is the small sign, and part it for me was the placement. For the two that I passed today, walking towards it from about 5-10 meters out I can see all the holes and labels for the waste and recyclables but not the hole for butts from that angle. My problem was after not noticing these buttholes the first few times I just assumed none of them had them.
I think a large part of the problem is awareness. Not just with those butt holes but with the problems of cigarette litter in general (e.g. the 2 examples I listed in the original post). Part of it is the lack of any push to address this issue. I know what I would do if this was a priority for me. I would ask local businesses to put up posters asking people to not litter (focusing on cigarette litter). I would write to the local newspapers about the consequences of this waste and express my disgust, and depending on how law-abiding I was feeling that day, I might even consider a guerilla campaign of spraypainting the sidewalks with some fancy no-cigarette-litter graphic or at least put up prominent signs indicating a $500 fine for litter (highlighting cigarette butts; hey, it got people to stop tossing cans from their cars right?). One could argue that this shouldn’t be necessary. But I think it is because part of the problem I think is some smokers just don’t think others care (or at least not enough to feel shamed).
Can you tell me where to find a portable ashtray? (this is an honest question) I have looked in gas stations, convenience stores and dollar stores without any luck. And I still think this is the best solution (as long as we can popularize it).
When I go no-trace camping I carry all my butts with me. This is for up to a week at a time. In the past I’ve used a travel soap box and some kind of small plastic box for lures or something. These are obviously not very practical for carrying around in the city.
I don’t put my butts in my pocket because I don’t want ash and tobacco all up in my pockets. Sometimes I’ll just hold on to my butt if I see a garbage at the end of the street (but not often enough).
None of these are justifications for tossing butts on the ground. People are free to see me as a selfish, lazy, destructive asshole. I just hope that this provides some insight into why smokers litter and have provided useful information for those willing take up the fight (and I believe it will be a real fight as are all attempts to change cultural norms; I believe the current norm is that people just accept that smokers toss their butts to the street).
If anyone’s actually interested in starting a cigarette litter prevention program, I would be happy to help. Also, here’s a helpful link: http://preventcigarettelitter.org/how_you_do_it/start_a_program.html
Hell, if you want to start a letter writing campaign to city councillors to get more signs emphasizing the fines for littering or even to try to get them to start up one of those “prevent cigarette litter” campaigns, draft up a form letter and I’ll send it off and distribute it as well.
Anil’s tweet just pissed me off since it came across as another web guru type who’s more concerned about getting retweets than actually doing anything to address the problem.
I know, the problem is smokers. Yet most of the actions I’ve stated here are more focused on the community rather than the smokers. That just happens to be how I try to address problems, finding solutions that can involve/unite as many people as possible (instead of
just trying to isolate and bitch at the offending party).
That being said, Ram + funkaoshi readers: I now authorize you to bitch at me next time you see me tossing a butt in the street provided you remind me to hang on to that butt before we get to that point. Team effort. Yay!
Thanks Vic. Thanks Ram (though seriously, I think there are more interesting things on my blarg to link to that don’t make me look like such a dick ;)
Here’s a Strawberry Shortcake video for you, friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia8sQqOAuzQ
Dammit. And now that video reminded me of the days when I could still sing soprano.
by Vinnie on July 21 2010, 8:36 pm #
What I enjoyed most about both comments is that you guys are both talking to one another like you haven’t known each other since grade 5.
by ramanan on July 22 2010, 8:50 am #
Oh wait, I’m mixing up my Vic’s!
by ramanan on July 22 2010, 4:28 pm #