New "Bin Here?" Campaign Launches To Help Combat Cigarette Litter Downtown
Downtown Winnipeg – Launched today, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and Take Pride Winnipeg are asking Winnipeggers to pitch in and help us plan for a litter-free downtown!
As part of a new “Bin here?” pilot project, four bright pink decalled cigarette bins will pop up around downtown over the next month on busy corners that don’t currently have bins. The bins are a test during the busy pedestrian month of August, to see if adding more places people can dispose of their cigarette butts conveniently as well as responsibly will reduce the incidence of littering.
86% of Winnipeggers rate the downtown as clean, according to the 2013 Downtown Trends survey. But to help keep it that way, the Metro Enviro Team picks up over 6,000 pails of litter in a year. More info here: http://downtownwinnipegbiz.com/programs-services/cleanliness.
Each temporary cigarette butt bin has a number for Winnipeggers to text or tweet, so they can vote on whether they’d like to see one there long term! By tallying the votes and collecting data about how much they are used, the BIZ will be gathering information on where they’re most needed downtown.
“We know Winnipeggers want to see the cleanest, greenest downtown possible,” says Stefano Grande, Executive Director of the Downtown BIZ. “And we believe they’ll do their part and avoid littering if they’re provided with the infrastructure.”
The BIZ hopes to data from the “Bin here?” test program will generate discussion about littering and help us work with various stakeholders to determine where the downtown may need additional bins and plan for an even cleaner downtown.
“It is so important to have a clean and litter-free city, and it starts downtown,” says Tom Ethans, Executive Director of Take Pride Winnipeg. “Bringing awareness to litter issues here is a vital step in making our downtown a place where people want to come. But we have to remember to look at even the smallest pieces of litter – cigarette butts which account for 28-30% of litter on our streets. Let’s work together to ensure we have the cleanest downtown.”