Dublin City Council gives away 20,000 free portable ashtrays to smokers.
Over the next fortnight, Dublin City Council workers will be handing out 20,000 portable ashtrays as part of anti-litter efforts in the city. A large part of the Dublin street litter problem is cigarette-related. The measure has been criticised by the Green Party and anti-smoking activists, who say the council should not be encouraging people to smoke.
Twenty cigarette butts are dropped on Dublin streets every second.
Litter warden Michael Murphy says that as all shops have a no-smoking policy, cigarette butts end up thrown on the streets. He believes that the problem will only get worse with the introduction of the smoking ban in pubs.
Dublin City Council believes it has the solution in the form of a fire-proof, portable ashtray.
Royston Brady, Lord Mayor of Dublin, says that between three and four million cigarettes a day are smoked in the city and half of them end up on the streets.
It takes 12 years for a cigarette to degrade.
Critics of the initiative say that the council should not be encouraging people to smoke. The public response has been mixed with some seeing it as a gimmick.
Anybody caught throwing a cigarette on the street, could face a fine of €125. The portable ashtrays are available for free from Dublin City Council libraries, from Bus Stop newsagents, and from selected Tesco and Superquinn stores. When the stock of free ashtrays runs out, they will be available to purchase through Dublin City Council's website for €2 each.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 9 September 2003. The reporter is Orla O'Donnell.
