Don't be a tosser: Maitland City Council's personal ash tray initiative

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Maitland City Council are personalising the way you dispose of cigarette butts with personal ash trays.

Not only are they discrete, the ash trays are a safe way to carry cigarette butts until they can be disposed of in a bin.

Cigarette litter is one of the major litter items in the Maitland local government area, being dropped in local shopping precincts, along footpaths and in local waterways endangering the environment and the health of animals and the community.

Manager of Development and Environment David Simm says it is hoped the incentive will reduce cigarette litter in the area.

"It's about raising the awareness about cigarette litter, cigarette butt litter, so there's something tangible people can relate to. It's also simply a simply way to deal with those butts without discarding them on the footpath, or on the driveway or in the gutter, in the waterways".

Council's Regulatory Officers are currently able to issue on the spot fines for offences pertaining to the litter of cigarette butts, ranging from a $60 fine for dropping an unlit or extinguished cigarette butt, to a $375 fine for aggravated littering that threatens public safety or the environment.

Simm says that the personal ash trays will be available from Council's Administration Building or at the Maitland Visitor Information Centre during operating hours until supplies run out.