The Tools to Change

Infrastructure simply refers to the tools used to change behaviour by making it easy for people to 'do the right thing.' Infrastructure is key to long-term behaviour change.

Cigarette butt infrastructure includes a broad range of equipment such as personal ashtrays, butt bins on streets, or at the other end of the spectrum, gross pollutant traps (GPT) installed in the stormwater drainage system that catch items as small as cigarette butts. Taking the term more broadly it may also encompass the additional infrastructure to entice people to 'do the right thing' such as installing seating or shelter in a designated smoking area.

Infrastructure may address cigarette butt littter at the 'source' or the 'end of pipe'. Personal ashtrays and appropriate street bins fall into the 'source' category as they provide smokers with tools on hand to dispose of the butts when they have finished with it. Ideally, this is what we want smokers to do.

'End of pipe' solutions, like installing GPTs, are expensive and require ongoing maintenance. Strategic placement of devices is therefore critical so that they make the maximum impact, however providing these do not change peoples behaviour which is the ultimate goal of litter prevention.