Keep Bossier Beautiful awarded $20K grant to fight cigarette litter

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Keep America Beautiful (KAB) has granted Keep Bossier Beautiful $20,000 to implement a cigarette litter prevention and recycling program.

Tobacco products are the most commonly littered item in Louisiana, and there are an estimated 9.7 billion cigarette butts along American roads. Communities that implement the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) typically reduce cigarette litter by half within four to six months based on measurements taken.

KBB Executive Director Lynn Bryan said, “Through this generous grant funding, KBB will address the many aspects of cigarette litter in our communities. Our work will combine educational messaging with tangible resources like personal pocket disposal ashtrays and cigarette receptacles that people can use to make a difference in the area’s cigarette litter problem.”

According to research, many smokers think that cigarette filters are biodegradable. They dispose of cigarette butts, unaware that they remain in the environment for decades. Combining cleanup efforts with education for smokers is the first phase of the KBB plan to reduce cigarette litter.

Created by KAB in 2002, CLPP is the nation’s largest program established to eliminate cigarette litter.

KBB is a nonprofit organization that has aimed to end litter, protect the environment, and beautify the community for 40 years. Learn more and volunteer on the Keep Bossier Beautiful website.