Cigarette Litter Awareness Day

Cigarette litter hurts Pearland in numerous ways.  To help educate the public Keep Pearland Beautiful is hosting its annual Cigarette Litter Awareness Day on Saturday February 18, 2023.  At noon volunteers will meet at the Stella Roberts Recycling Center (5800 Magnolia St.) to eat lunch and receive a safety briefing.

Entire families, high schools students, and other Keep Pearland Beautiful volunteers spend the afternoon picking up cigarette litter along Pearland street intersections.  Last year 48 volunteer picked up 11,460 cigarette butts.  

According to the 2011 Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup survey, cigarette butts were once again identified as the number one most littered item, representing 32% of all debris counted. These butts are carried to the coast via our storm drains and the watershed during heavy rains.  Litter fact number nine on the Don’t Mess with Texas website maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation Attitudes and Behavior Study reports that 62% of Texas smokers admit to tossing their cigarette butts out of the window of their cars.  So, please help KPB get the news out to smokers to keep their butts in the vehicle at all times. 

In 2011, cities and towns that implemented Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program had an average reduction in cigarette butt litter of 54%.  While seemingly insignificant, dropping cigarette butts to the ground, putting them in planters, and disposing of them in waterways is littering. And there are consequences. 

Here’s why cigarette butt litter matters: it’s unsightly, costly to clean up, and harmful to waterways and wildlife.  So, on February 18, 2022 help us get the word out about cigarette butt litter.  Sign up to participate in Cigarette Litter Awareness Day and help us reduce the amount of cigarette litter in Pearland even more!

If you are interested in participating in this event or a future clean up event please contact KPB at (281) 489-2795. Please “like” us on Facebook and follow our events and updates.