Proper Cigarette Butt Disposal in the Workplace
How to Encourage Proper Cigarette Butt Disposal in the Workplace
Are you having a problem getting your employees to properly dispose of cigarette butts in the workplace? According to Keep America Beautiful, the rate of improper cigarette butt disposal is 65%, taking up over a third of all roadway litter in the U.S. It’s easy for someone to casually toss their spent cigarette butt onto your parking lot, garden area, employee picnic area. However, there are ways that you can encourage proper cigarette butt disposal in the workplace, saving you hundreds of dollars a year in cigarette clean up fees.
Use Lots of Signage
Perhaps the simplest way to encourage employees to not litter cigarette butts is to put proper signage in place. Find out where people are going to smoke, and put an official sign up that discourages littering. This might at least give someone pause before they toss their cigarette butt into the dirt. You might also want to remind them that they can get ticketed for littering.
Provide a Designated Smoking Areas
If you offer designated smoking areas, you can also better control cigarette butt disposal. Provide people with seating and ashtrays so they are able to dispose of their cigarette litter properly without giving it much thought. You’ll also get the added benefit of preventing second hand smoke.
Install Cigarette Butt Receptacles
You should make the disposal of butts easy. Provide trash cans, ashtrays, or receptacles at all entry and exit points of your building, as well as near benches and typical smoking areas.
Give Out Pocket Ashtrays
Hand out free pocket ashtrays or put them in a place so employees can grab them anonymously. These can be purchased in bulk, and they allow smokers to collect their ashes and butts for later disposal, rather than littering on the ground.
Keep the Surrounding Area Clean
It’s important to be on top of it when it comes to cleaning up cigarette butts. The longer they stay on the ground, the more it encourages others to follow suit and add to the litter. There are several ways to keep your area clean, whether it’s through parking lot sweeping or by hosting volunteer litter pick-up events with your employees.
Educate Your Employees
Make your employees aware of the environmental impact of cigarette butt litter. According to the Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, every year over 141 million pounds of cigarette filters are littered in the environment. Cities and property managers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in cigarette butt cleanup fees. The more your employees know about the consequences of their actions, the more likely they are to think twice before tossing their butts on the ground. And give us a call if you need any day porter services in Milpitas or day porter in Reno.