Keep America Beautiful Awards 2019 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grant to Keep South Carolina Beautiful
(Columbia, South Carolina) – Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, has awarded their 2019 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) grant to Keep South Carolina Beautiful (KSCB) to combat the most littered item in America. KSCB is one of 50 national organizations receiving the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program grant.
The grant funds, totaling $10,000, will be used to reduce cigarette litter across the state by partnering with local affiliates, governments, businesses and individuals to work towards a litter-free South Carolina.
“We work every day throughout South Carolina to create a more beautiful place to live, visit, work and play. Cigarette litter is the most commonly littered item across our state and nation. The CLPP grant funds will provide resources to target this source of litter,” said Mallory B. Coffey, State Leader for KSCB, a division of PalmettoPride.
Since its inception in 2002, the CLPP has been successfully implemented in more than 1,800 urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide. Communities benefiting from the program in 2018 reported an average 62 percent reduction of cigarette litter. This grant funding empowers communities to help mitigate the economic, environmental and quality of life impact of cigarette butt littering.
“Litter is both the smallest and largest problem at the same time,” said Jerred Jones, program director for the CLPP. “Keep America Beautiful is dedicated to educating consumers on the hazards of littering in public spaces and providing the tools to reduce litter. Access to ash receptacles and portable pocket ashtrays are crucial to changing littering behaviors.”
Research has shown that even self-reported “non-litterers” don’t consider cigarette butts as litter. KAB 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 sidewalk areas outside of bars and restaurants, among others.
The CLPP is supported by funding from Altria, Reynolds American, and the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.
About PalmettoPride
PalmettoPride is a 501C3 non-profit litter prevention and beautification organization in South Carolina. We engage citizens to take an active role in keeping their communities clean and beautiful. Keep South Carolina Beautiful is a division of PalmettoPride and is the state affiliate for Keep America Beautiful. Our programs have helped reduce litter by more than 60%. For more information, please visit www.palmettopride.org.
About Keep AmericaBeautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitterand YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.