“Golfers Fore a Cleaner Green” Cigarette Litter Prevention Program
August 13, 2012
CHARLESTON, SC – August 13, 2012 – Keep Charleston Beautiful will take part in a national program, the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, to reduce the impact of cigarette butt litter. Keep Charleston Beautiful will target cigarette butt litter on the City’s Municipal Golf Course with a program called “Golfers Fore a Cleaner Green”.
The Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program tackles the issue by integrating four proven approaches:
- encouraging enforcement of litter laws, including cigarette litter;
- raising awareness about the issue using public service messages;
- placing ash receptacles at transition points such as near entrances to public buildings; and
- distributing pocket ashtrays to adult smokers.
“Golfers who smoke tend to discard their cigarette butts around the greens and tee boxes. This not only causes unsightly conditions, it adversely affects the playability of the course. We hope that this program will serve as a springboard for other programs that will help keep our course free of debris” said Golf Course Manager Herb Whetsell.
“Keep Charleston Beautiful is installing ash receptacles in the golf carts and along the course. Pocket ashtrays will be provided to those golfers who choose to walk.” said project leader, Jennifer Scales. “Using these products along with an awareness/education campaign to bring attention to the issue, our goal is to see a noticeable drop in cigarette related litter on and around the golf course.”
Tobacco products, including cigarette butts, are the most-littered item in America, representing nearly 38 percent of all items, according to “Litter in America,” a Keep America Beautiful landmark 2009 study. The research also showed that individuals who would never litter items such as beverage cans or paper packaging may not consider tossing cigarette butts on the ground “littering.”
The initial scan of seven areas on the Municipal Golf Course resulted in the collection of 761 cigarette butts. A volunteer Task Force composed of golfers, community members, and Keep Charleston Beautiful Board members will conduct scans which will count and collect cigarette butts over the next year to assess the progress of the new Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.
National nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has field-tested and expanded the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program since 2003, funded by Philip Morris USA, an Altria company, with additional support from RAI Services Company. Information about starting and maintaining a community Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is available online. The “Guide to Cigarette Litter Prevention” can be accessed through the Keep America Beautiful Web site www.kab.org or directly at www.preventcigarettelitter.org.
About Keep Charleston Beautiful
The City of Charleston’s Keep Charleston Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. They are dedicated to promoting the cleanliness and beautification of the City of Charleston through education, public awareness, and community involvement. Founded in 1977 by Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Keep Charleston Beautiful works with local schools, businesses, and organizations to educate the community on the importance of litter prevention, waste responsibility, and community beautification. For additional information, please visit www.keepcharlestonbeautiful.org.
About Municipal Golf Course
Affectionately referred to as The Muni, The City Course opened in 1929 and has seen a great deal of Charleston golf history. It has hosted the South Carolina State Championship and remains the home of the Charleston City Amateur. The Municipal Course is a very golfer-friendly course one of the few walkable golf courses in Charleston. The Course boasts 6 sets of tees to accommodate all playing levels and over 60,000 rounds are played annually.About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. To learn more about Keep America Beautiful, go to www.kab.org.
