Keep America Beautiful Presents 2020 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grant to Keep South Carolina Beautiful
National Nonprofit Provides Grant Funding, Resources to Help South Carolina Address Cigarette Litter
Columbia, SC – Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the nation’s largest community improvement nonprofit organization, awarded a $20,000 2020 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) grant to Keep South Carolina Beautiful (KSCB) to address cigarette litter in South Carolina.
South Carolinians have an opportunity to participate in the nation’s largest program aimed at reducing cigarette litter. Community members can install free receptacles at their business, home or local park to help fight the most commonly littered item in America – the cigarette butt. KSCB will use these funds to purchase more cigarette butt receptacles and ashtrays, as well as bring awareness to the impacts of cigarette litter across the state.
“Through our research and that of PalmettoPride and Keep America Beautiful, we know for every additional litter bin, the littering rate for cigarette butts will decrease by nearly 10%,” said Mallory Coffey, KSCB State Leader. “This same research shows the majority of smokers would properly dispose of their cigarette butts if suitable receptacles were available. This is exactly what this grant will help us do – install free receptacles in every community in South Carolina, and assist in eliminating cigarette litter.”
KAB provided individual merit-based grants, totaling more than $500,000, to 47 organizations throughout the country, including KSCB. Grants were presented to KAB affiliates, local governments and other organizations dedicated to eradicating litter and beautifying their communities. Communities implementing the CLPP in 2019 reported an average 51 percent reduction of cigarette litter. KSCB makes it easy to participate in their CLPP. Just request your bin here.
“The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program grants empower communities to help mitigate the economic, environmental, and quality-of-life impact of cigarette littering,” said Jerred Jones, program director for the CLPP. “Access to ash receptacles and the dissemination of public education are useful tools to help reduce the most commonly littered item in our litter stream.”
Research has shown that even self-reported “non-litterers” often don’t consider tossing cigarette butts on the ground to be “littering.” 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 the sidewalk areas outside of bars and restaurants, among others.
The CLPP is supported by funding from Philip Morris USA; RAI Services Company; and the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.
If you are interested in partnering with Keep South Carolina Beautiful, or have questions concerning the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, contact Mallory Coffey at mcoffey@palmettopride.org.
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PalmettoPride is working towards a litter-free South Carolina. Created as a legislative initiative to fight litter and help beautify South Carolina by engaging citizens to take action in their communities through education, enforcement, awareness and pickup. Keep South Carolina Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and is housed as a program under PalmettoPride. KSCB oversees nearly 30 affiliates across the state and provides resources, training, and guidance to those affiliates.
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, Twitter and YouTube.