Butt-ugly litter
Cigarette butts scattered outside government facilities a problem for City of St. John’s
“There’s no question these institutions have to do something about it because (smokers from these institutions) end up dumping it on city property.” Sandy Hickman St. John’s councillor
In one of the more scenic areas of St. John’s, the pleasant view of Quidi Vidi Lake, near a resting spot in the east end, is often spoiled by the unsightly mess of cigarette butts.
Thousands of them scatter the ground behind the Pleasantview Towers long-term care home, where it meets the Virginia River trail.
“It’s a mess,” says Coun. Sandy Hickman, who has seen such a mess in many other places around the city.
“It’s really become an issue.” Hickman said butts often accumulate outside restaurants, bars and other businesses with numerous employees, as well as outside hospitals.
“Anywhere where people gather or play, you’ll see them,” he said.
However, he said, government institutions — including Eastern Health facilities and Memorial University and the College of the North Atlantic — are responsible for cleaning up the butts on their property.
However, Hickman said, since smoking is not permitted near buildings such as hospitals, seniors’ homes and long-term care homes, smokers are often forced to move to other nearby places, such as trails, green spaces and city sidewalks. Often, that means the mess is left on city grounds, leaving city staff with the responsibility of picking up after smokers who come from these facilities.
“There’s no question these institutions have to do something about it because (smokers from these institutions) end up dumping it on city property,” said Hickman, adding there’s often a problem with people coming from the Health Sciences Centre to smoke near Long Pond near the hospital.
“It’s not really environmentally sound.”
Joan Fitzgerald, who has voluntarily cleaned up litter along city trails for several years, said cigarette butts are a problem outside Pleasanview Towers, where she walks the trial often to visit her brother-in-law.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” said Fitzgerald, whose work has earned her a volunteer custodian status of the Virginia River Trail, along with the Grand Concourse Trail and East Coast Trail.
“I actually went to (Pleasantview Towers’) main office and made at least half a dozen complaints about the mess of cigarette butts," she says.
“It’s a trail people walk and I understand if employees need to go off the premises on their break to smoke … but they should clean up their mess.
“Nobody wants to take responsibility.”
The problem has gotten so bad, Clean St. John’s — a non-profit organization that promotes a litter-free city — is taking steps to address it.
“Cigarette butt litter is the No. 1 littered item in St. John’s,” said Clean St. John’s executive director Karen Hickman — Sandy’s wife — citing a recently completed audit by the Multi-materials Stewardship Board.
“People always talk about coffee cups, chip bags and things like that, but it’s cigarette butts that are the biggest problem,” she said.
In an effort to make St. John’s cleaner, the organization plans to launch a pilot project in the next few weeks.
Called Butt Free YYT, the project will see more than 40 cigarette butt receptacles placed at various locations around the city with the aim of preventing smokers from throwing their butts on the ground.
“People don’t care and they don’t think that it’s litter,” Karen Hickman said. “I think there are people who would throw a cigarette butt, but might not throw a coffee cup or chip bag on the ground. It’s been an ongoing issue for years.
“We don’t care who smokes. It’s how you dispose of your cigarette butts that we’re concerned about. They need to be disposed of properly.”
The official announcement about the pilot project will be held during a news conference on June 1 at Bannerman Brewery, where further details will be released.
When contacted by The Telegram, Eastern Health stated in an emailed response, “Eastern Health believes in being considerate of neighbouring properties. We ask employees that when approaching or bordering on adjoining properties to please demonstrate respect by not littering. We recognize that smoking and littering at the Long Pond walking trail and other trails near facilities are ongoing problems and we welcome discussions with the City of St. John’s to find solutions.”