Shoalhaven Council Rangers collaborate to combat cigarette butt pollution

Shoalhaven City Council’s Rangers are collaborating with the Riverwatch community group and Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO) to combat cigarette butt litter.

Littered butts leach toxins as they decompose, contributing to soil and water pollution and impacting on wildlife. Cigarette filters, which are primarily made of plastic, also wreak havoc on the marine environment.

Shoalhaven Mayor Amanda Findley is delighted with the combined efforts of community volunteers, Rangers and ISJO and notes “rangers in conjunction with the ‘Riverwatch’ Community group, recently conducted a ‘Butt Blitz’ along Shoalhaven Street in Nowra, near Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital.

“The group cleaned up approximately 5000 cigarette butts which may have otherwise ended up in our beautiful Shoalhaven River.”

This is one of the final steps of a project rolled out over the past few months which has seen Shoalhaven City Council complete ‘Cigarette Butt Litter Checks’ to obtain necessary data to secure funding for four cigarette butt litter receptacles and pathway decals.

These have been installed already (two on Scenic Drive and two on Shoalhaven Street) and Council continues to monitor their usage and conduct surveys of nearby smokers to gather further data.

Following liaison with a representative from NSW Health, Rangers plan to have two of the four receptacles relocated to better capture surrounding foot traffic and promote usage.

The cigarette butt litter campaign and clean ups will continue over summer.  Council Rangers ‘pop-up’ education stalls will also be prominent this summer.

Image: Community members join Council Rangers Nick Kilminster and Ariann Fernie in the recent cigarette butt clean up.