Litter-Free Purbeck
Cigarette Butt Prevention Campaign
Sea-Changers' grant:
£499
Year:
2023
"This project has raised awareness of the environmental impact of cigarette litter and has shown potential for further expansion in other coastal towns."
In 2023, Litter-Free Purbeck, an environmental initiative in Dorset, was funded by Sea-Changers to reduce cigarette litter by raising awareness of its environmental impact. The project aimed to prevent cigarette butts from being discarded on the ground, where they can end up in drains and eventually reach the sea.
The Sea-Changers grant enabled the purchase of 50 boxes of 10 Minibins, or ""butt pouches"", to be sold to local businesses, providing smokers with a safer alternative to cigarette butt disposal. Litter-Free Purbeck approached 32 outlets in Swanage and surrounding areas, with 10 agreeing to sell the pouches. The project also included promotional materials like point-of-sale posters.
To date, 39 boxes (390 pouches) have been sold. The campaign relied on direct outreach to businesses, with follow-up visits to encourage reorders, and social media and website listings were used to promote the project to the wider public. Based on the number of pouches sold and using standardised estimations, the project team conservatively estimate that the initiative could prevent approximately 115,150 cigarette butts being littered over a year.
Litter-Free Purbeck aims to continue distributing the remaining stock of pouches and future sales. The project also planned collaboration with Litter Pick Lyme to expand the initiative to other areas.
