“Following the impressive success of the trial program, 15 new cigarette bins are being installed across our City, bringing the total to 38,” he said.
The expansion will see new bins at Drummoyne, Rhodes, Concord, Five Dock and Warremba, as well as at Rhodes, Concord West and North Strathfield train stations.
An initial seven cigarette butt bins were installed at litter ‘hot spots’ last year in Rhodes Town Square and on Majors Bay Road in Concord to encourage smokers to dispose of their butts responsibly and sustainably.
Since the bins were introduced in January 2015, almost 380,000 or 212 kilograms worth of butts have been collected.
The collected cigarette butts get recycled and used to create a number of plastic items including ash trays, construction boards for fences, cubicles and shelters, park benches and garden equipment.
Last month, the poles were upgraded with new stickers to improve public awareness of bin locations and the project’s purpose.
The Bin Your Butts campaign has been developed through a $28,000 funding grant from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).