HAMPTON, Va. — The Hampton Clean City Commission wants residents to properly dispose of cigarette butts, so they don't contaminate our waterways.
"I don’t know any fish that smoke, so please don’t let them go down our storm drains and out into our waterways,” said Wendy Iles, program specialist.
Iles tells News 3 cigarette butts are mostly made of plastic and aren't biodegradable. Cigarette litter accounts for 80% of litter under four inches across the globe, and just one butt can contaminate two gallons of water, according to researchers at Keep America Beautiful.
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The goal of the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) to raise awareness of proper disposal.
“This is not an anti-smoking campaign,” said Iles. "We want people to be aware and really to not toss it on the street, not toss it out of their cars, and please don’t toss it into our waterways."
Hampton Public Works biologist Michael Bowry explains how they're attempting to keep butts out of the bay.
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“We have to have whole facilities to catch it, because if we catch it with little netting and things like that’s going to lead to flooding and other issues that we don’t want,” said Bowry. "So that’s why we have these major facilities that are designed to catch bigger particles and small cigarette butts so it can hold it and store it until we are able to get it."
If you're interested in volunteering, the Hampton Clean City Commission hosts a cigarette butt cleanup weekly. More information can be found here.
