Jump to full article: Juneau (AK) Empire, 2008-05-16
Author: Wendy Hamilton * For the Juneau Empire
Intro: The Juneau Clean Air Coalition donned brooms and dustpans to clean downtown streets for Litter Free Clean Up Day on May 10.
"We'd heard complaints about the cigarette butts downtown so we chose to clean up that area as our community service project," said Wendy Hamilton, Tobacco Program Coordinator for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
"The amount of cigarette butts was surprising, especially considering the City Street Maintenance crews clean the sidewalks and streets seven mornings a week in the summertime," she said.
Most people don't think of cigarette butts as litter, but in fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world. Research shows that individuals who would never consider littering an aluminum can or a piece of paper may be littering cigarette butts.
"Cigarette butt litter is a worldwide environmental threat," Hamilton stated.
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