A Word from the Litter Champion

Welcome to the litter prevention kit for cigarette butt litter

Cigarette butt littering is a dynamic and pervasive problem. Across Australia it consistently constitutes over 50% of the litter stream and research shows that many smokers do not even identify cigarette butts as litter and have no idea of the environmental damage they cause.

However, many are prepared to change their behaviour once they are made aware of these facts. We must capture their attention, educate them of the facts, provide the tools to change behaviours and fine those who still persist in doing the wrong thing. Our society is becoming more responsive to social and environmental change as global warming maintains its prominence in the media agenda and, at a level closer to home, we face frightening water shortages and the quality of our water and level of consumption is a key focus for many Victorians, especially those outside of metropolitan Melbourne. Recent years have seen the development of many sustainable living initiatives by governments and community groups and their uptake by community members continues to increase as environmental issues continue to gain momentum and support.

There are many elements which combine to create cigarette butt litter. These elements change according to their context and location and include: legislation and enforcement on both a state and local level; the degree of education, awareness and involvement of the community; the members of the community from a non English speaking background; the involvement of local businesses, traders and community groups; the amount of inter-agency cooperation and support; the existence of an effective Litter Task Force and the resources available to deliver the program. No two municipalities will be the same. Each combination of these elements provides an exciting and unique challenge.

While later chapters discuss programming techniques and principles for establishing successful programs, the absolutely essential principles which filter through this toolkit are:

Engagement is gold: research shows that engaging with the people is the most successful way to sustainably change behaviour
Consistency is the key: mixed messages can lose their impact and become confusing 'white noise'
Partnerships are a priority: No one person or profession has all the answers. Naturally, partnership and collaboration through establishing a Litter Task Force will lead to better results.

Within this kit, VLAA aims to provide the tools for planning and evaluating an effective behaviour change program, the tools to sustain consistent messages, and the research to justify particular approaches.

The kit has been designed for maximum accessibility. The contents provide an overview of the kit and each section begins with an outline of its key points, followed by the information. Case studies, samples of artwork, products and resources, provide further specific detail.

Victoria's Towards Zero Waste Strategy stipulates the target of achieving a 25% reduction in littering and littering behaviour by 2014 . A statewide focus on cigarette butts led by VLAA and local government, and supported by state agencies, will put cigarette butt litter on the agenda and help to achieve a massive reduction in the number of butts polluting our environment.

I hope you find this kit a great resource and I look forward to your feedback to improve the contents and structure for future editions on cigarette butts and other hot litter items.

Abby Rees,

litter champion for the Victorian Litter Action Alliance

litterchampion@litter.vic.gov.au

February 2007