Fairfield City Council calls on residents to bin the butt

The Bin the Butt campaign is part of a region-wide program with the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) to reduce cigarette butt litter in shopping areas in Western Sydney.

Mayor of Fairfield City, Frank Carbone, said although cigarette butts aren’t the only form of litter, they are by far the most common.

“Cigarette butts make up a staggering 54 per cent of all litter items across Western Sydney,” Mayor Carbone said.

“Each year, Western Sydney councils collectively spend $14 million managing litter, which is why we are working together with seven other councils to reduce litter rates across the region.

“Fairfield City Council has installed new cigarette butt bins at targeted locations to make it easier and more convenient for smokers to dispose of cigarette butts correctly.

“A team of multi-lingual educators will help us to spread the word about the new bins over the next few weeks.

“Keeping the community clean by putting rubbish in the bin is everyone’s responsibility and we all have a role to play to not live with litter and save money.

“The less Council spends picking up litter, the more money we can invest in other things such as road maintenance, community facilities and programs.

President of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC), Cr Stephen Bali, said: “This is the second Western Sydney-wide project to tackle littering thanks to funding from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

“The grant will allow councils to work closely together to maximise their impact on litter right across the region,” Cr Bali said.

This project is proudly funded by the NSW Government.

Participating councils include: Blacktown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Hills, Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith.