Media Centre
No cuts, no butts
Published 9th November 2010
From 1 December 2010 smoking and glass will no longer be allowed on the sand at Port Phillip beaches.
Mayor Cr Frank O’Connor says cigarettes and glass litter our beaches and pose serious threats to people, marine wildlife and our environment.
“Stopping smoking and the use of glass containers will greatly improve the quality of the beaches we can provide to residents and visitors.
“Surf Coast Shire successfully launched a similar initiative two years ago across its popular beachside towns, including Lorne and Torquay, so remember, whether you’re home or away on holidays, the rules are the same!
“We are proud to be the first bay-side municipality to launch this campaign and we hope it spreads further than the City of Port Phillip,” he said.
Council is working with local traders to get the message out to visitors and tourists, and friendly Council staff will also be handing out Frisbees and water bottles on beaches to promote the ‘no cuts, no butts’ message.
Zoe Hogg from Earthcare says she strongly supports Council’s campaign as cigarette butts pose a serious threat to penguins.
“They eat the butts thinking they’re food and unfortunately they cannot digest them, which can lead to death,” she said.
Chairman and Founder of Clean Up Australia, Ian Kiernan AO says, “For the last 21 years, cigarette butts have consistently been the most common single item of rubbish removed by volunteers on Clean Up Australia Day. 54,153 butts were collected in 2009 alone.
“We believe that around 7.2 billion cigarette butts are littered in Australia each year. Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in freshwater and as long as five years in seawater.
“In that time, many marine animals mistake them for food, leading to digestive problems and even death for animals such as sea turtles and birds. Glass waste presents its own problems, with broken glass an obvious injury risk,” he said.
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Enquiries: Katie Elles, Media Adviser, 03 9209 6163 or 0435 657 336
or Mayor Cr Frank O’Connor on 03 9209 6431 or 0432 289 012
