City To Smokers: Keep Your Butts Off the Street

The city of Walnut Creek wants you to keep your butts out of the gutter, off the sidewalk, and out of the local waterways.

As part of the city’s Clean Water Program, litter has been targeted for eradication. Among the biggest culprit is the cigarette butt, tossed by smokers standing outside of bars, restaurants and offices. The butt gets swept into storm drains, where they wind up in waterways and become toxic to fish and other aquatic life.

To encourage appropriate butt disposal, the city has installed over a dozen gray receptacles outside of various local bars and restaurants, hoping smokers will use them. As an added reminder, a group of volunteers last week fanned out to the locales and passed out napkins urging the use of the receptacles.

Among the sites visited were 1515, Crogan’s, Dan’s Bar, and Pyramid Alehouse.

“This is an important part of the city’s efforts to discourage litter,” said Rinta Perkins of the Clean Water Program. “We hope people see the value of using the receptacles instead of unintentionally .damaging the environment.”

The volunteers encountered mostly receptive diners and drinkers in their quest last Thursday to advise folks about the program. Many of them were either nonsmokers, or former smokers who have long since given up the habit.

For more information about the program, go here.