The City of Calgary is looking to citizens to help solve a littering issue; extinguishing cigarette waste. Smoker or non-smoker, you’ve likely witnessed someone flicking a cigarette butt on city streets (yes, that is a littering offense). While we have many systems in place to manage waste effectively, the solution begins with citizen responsibility when it comes to littering.
Proper disposal of cigarette waste at home:
- Extinguished cigarette butts should be thrown away in the black cart.
- Cigarette ashes need to be double bagged, tied closed and thrown away in the black cart.
- Never flush cigarette butts or cigarette ashes down your toilet, sink or drain, as they are harmful to the environment and may cause damage to the pipes in your home.
- Cardboard cigarette packaging goes in the blue bin for recycling.
As a safety protocol, the Calgary Fire Department encourages citizens to ensure that smokers in your home douse cigarette butts and ashes with water before placing them into a non-combustible container and to not ash out or dispose of cigarette butts in planters, mulch or flower beds. The components of soil include organic material that can smolder for hours before igniting.
The city centre is populated with cigarette butt receptacles for citizens to utilize while in public. Many communities and businesses self-manage receptacles for proper waste disposal or recycling purposes.
We want to maintain the standard of cleanliness and safety we work toward collectively. Help us maintain a #buttfreeYYC.
