Keep America Beautiful® Presents 2023 Cigarette Litter Prevention Grant to Keep Allendale County Beautiful
June 19, 2023
Keep America Beautiful® Presents 2023 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grant To Keep Allendale County Beautiful
National Nonprofit Provides Grant Funding, Resources To Help Allendale County Address Cigarette Litter
ALLENDALE, S.C. – Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to community improvement, awards a $2,500 grant for the 2023 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) to Keep Allendale County Beautiful (KACB). This grant aims to tackle the issue of cigarette litter specifically within Allendale County.
The CLPP in Allendale County will rely primarily on both infrastructure and marketing through community education and awareness, as well as useful resources being provided.
"To help make our counties more marketable as the best place to live, work, and invest, SouthernCarolina Alliance (SCA) began leading a regional beautification program in 2021 to beautify the region by cleaning up our roadways, industrial parks, downtowns, neighborhoods and waterways,” said Graci Hiers, Regional Beautification Coordinator, SCA. “We are pleased that Allendale County was awarded this grant to help support our continuous efforts in beautification and litter prevention.”
Keep America Beautiful® offered merit-based grants totaling nearly $400,000 to various organizations across the nation, including KACB. These grants were specifically bestowed upon community-based affiliates, local governments, business improvement districts, downtown associations, parks and recreation commissions, and other organizations committed to eliminating litter and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of their communities.
The CLPP, established in 2002, has become the nation's largest program dedicated to eliminating cigarette butt and cigar tip litter. Over 1,850 communities across the country have successfully implemented the program, consistently achieving a 50 percent reduction in cigarette litter within just the first six months. This grant funding empowers communities to address the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life impact of cigarette litter, leading to cleaner and more vibrant neighborhoods.
One of the exciting additions to this year's grants is a requirement to collect and send cigarette butts to TerraCycle, a company dedicated to recycling them into practical items such as benches, picnic tables, and other useful products. By incorporating this innovative solution, participating communities will not only prevent cigarette litter but also contribute to a more sustainable future.
To effectively combat cigarette butt litter, Keep America Beautiful® CLPP advocates four proven approaches that participating communities are encouraged to implement:
1. Encourage enforcement of litter laws, including those related to cigarette litter.
2. Raise awareness about the issue through impactful public service messages.
3. Install ash receptacles at crucial transition points such as entrances to public buildings.
4. Distribute pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers, promoting responsible disposal options.
According to the Keep America Beautiful® 2020 National Litter Study, cigarette butts are the most littered item in America, representing 20 percent of all items.
“The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program raises awareness, changes behaviors and promotes responsible disposal practices,” says Becky Lyons, Chief Operating Officer of Keep America Beautiful®. “It is making a tangible difference in reducing cigarette litter and fostering a cleaner environment.”
Keep America Beautiful® has found that cigarette butt litter occurs most often at transition points—areas where a person must stop smoking before proceeding into another area. These include bus stops, entrances to stores and public buildings, and the sidewalk areas outside of bars and restaurants, among others.
The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is supported by funding from Philip Morris USA, an Altria company; RAI Services Company; and the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.
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For more information about SCA’s Regional Beautification Marketing Program, contact Graci Hiers at: ghiers@southerncarolina.org or visit www.southerncarolina.org.
For more information about Keep America Beautiful, visit: www.kab.org.