Wyre Council launches pocket ashtrays to help combat cigarette litter

Latest figures provided by the Wyre Council show that out of all the Fixed Penalty Notices issued between October 2018 - October 2019, 82% were for cigarette litter.

Cigarette waste is the same as any other waste in terms of litter laws, and you can be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for not disposing of cigarette stubs properly.

The ashtrays, which resemble tiny envelopes that clasp shut, will allow smokers to store their cigarette butts until they can properly dispose of them in a bin.

A spokesperson for Wyre Council said: "As part of our Cleaner, Greener Wyre initiative, we have launched an anti-littering campaign to help encourage people to dispose of their litter in the correct way.

"The Marine Conservation Society have announced that the second most item found on the countries beaches are cigarette butts, with over 42 found per every 100m of beach on average.

"As part of our mission to tackle the issue, we have launched pocket ashtrays for smokers to use, should a bin be out of reach."

Wyre Council hopes that the pocket ashtrays will reduce the amount of cigarette butts being littered and ending up in our oceans.

Cigarette ends should be completely extinguished before the stub is thrown into the bin to avoid any risk of fire.

An FPN, or a conditional offer of fixed penalty, are tickets that are given to offenders on-the-spot.

Most local authorities use FPNs to issue fines to people who drop litter, cigarette ends or fly-tip.

Offenders are given 14 days to pay the FPN which may be up to £150.

If you pay the fine you will avoid a court summons, but if you challenge it you will have to appear in court, and the fine may be increased to up to £2,500.