Keep Lexington Beautiful putting cigarette urns in parks

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Woodland, Jacobson and Shillito Parks in Lexington have 34 new ash urns installed thanks to the Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission (KLB). The project was supported by a $15,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.

The parks selected for the program are the city’s most-visited. Parks and Recreation staff will maintain the new urns.

“The urns give park visitors a convenient place to dispose of their cigarette butts, which in turn reduces littering,” says Susan Plueger, KLB’s Executive Director and Director of the city’s Division of Environmental Services.

The impact of the program has been significant. Before and after scans show a 74% reduction in cigarette litter in areas around the new urns.

Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, now in its 15th year, is the nation’s largest program aimed at reducing cigarette litter. Since its inception, the program has been implemented in more than 1,700 U.S. communities, including Lexington.

While cigarette smoking in America has decreased 28% in the past decade, cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S. and across the globe.  Tobacco products comprise 38% of all U.S. roadway litter, according to Keep America Beautiful.