Crackdown on dropped cigarette butts is urged for sake of Hamilton’s image

A member of Hamilton’s task force on downtown cleanliness and security says it’s time for a crackdown on litterbugs, specifically, in regards to cigarette butts.

Cameron Topp tells Hamilton’s general issues committee that along with chewing gum, cigarette butts are “the most difficult and costly litter to remove in the city” since they get caught in places like sidewalk cracks and property edgings.

READ MORE: ‘They’re everywhere’: thousands of littered cigarette butts near Winnipeg patios

Topp adds that they know from visitor surveys that the “butts” are most frequently mentioned, along with graffiti, in contributing to a perception that the downtown core is “dirty.”

He says addressing the issue would be “a very significant method of making our downtown core, and Hamilton in general, more attractive, prosperous and ambitious.”

READ MORE: Cigarette litter prompts #ButtFreeYYC campaign in Calgary

In response to the presentation, city councillors have voted to study the cost and feasibility of “targeted enforcement” of those who haphazardously toss their cigarette butts on the ground.

At a cost of $35,000, the task force also has plans for a public education campaign.