Nanaimo handing out pocket ashtrays to smokers

The City of Nanaimo is trying to clean up its streets by giving smokers free pocket ashtrays.

The ashtrays resemble a small coin purse andare used to put out cigarettes and store the butts until the smoker can empty the contents into a litter bin instead of throwing them on the street.

"Cigarette butts are the largest portion of the litter that we collect,"said Charlotte Davis, the city's manager of recycling and sanitation.

"Sometimes with it being such a small piece of litter, people don't even classify it as litter," said Davis, "But it's all litter and it's all the same stuff and it's bad for the environment and our city."

The pilot project is giving away 200 pocket ashtrays aspart of its KeepNanaimoClean campaign, which has been spreading anti-littering messages throughout the city.

Davis says the city is not encouraging smoking, but wants to help existing smokers put their butts in the trash.

"I am absolutely not encouraging smoking. It's just that we are admitting that we do have a problem with cigarette buttlitter and we have to dosomething about that," she said.

The pocketashtrays can be picked up for free at city facilities.

Anyone caught littering in Nanaimo can face a fine of $100.

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelledNanaimo handing out pocket ashtrays to smokersonthe CBC'sOn The Island.