Cigarette-butt litter is becoming a huge problem on Ohio University's campus, according to Director of Grounds Mark Whitney.
As warmer weather comes to Athens, more students can be seen smoking outside residence halls, on College Green and outside academic buildings. More students smoking outdoors means more cigarette litter around campus.
The 'cigarette butt problem' is probably worse everywhere as a result of forcing people to smoke outdoors
Ohio University President Robert Glidden wrote in an email.
Cigarette butts (the half-inch filter that remains once a cigarette has been smoked) can be seen dotting campus grounds year-round. The problem is most evident outside building entrances, according to Whitney. Students agree.
I know a lot of people here at Jeff who toss their butts just wherever in front of the dorm said Emily Kresiak, an OU freshman and a smoker . Cigarette butts even get tracked into the building.
The problem of cigarette-butt litter on the ground is not that bad on East Green, according to East Green Custodian Phil Tate. He has observed another problem there.
The big problem is that they throw trash in the butt urns Tate said. I don't think students realize it
but there are trash cans under the ash lids of the urns.
Kresiak said she has contributed to this problem.
If the ash trays are full of garbage
I'll usually just throw my cigarette on the ground
which is pretty unfortunate actually
she said.
Kresiak said the main cause of cigarette-butt litter is not the amount of cigarette urns on campus. The real problem is that students don't have enough places to put their garbage. Adding more garbage cans around campus could reduce cigarette litter, Kresiak said.
According to Edward Newman, manager of OU's Recycling and Refuse division of Facilities Management, a main problem of cigarette butt litter is the task of cleaning them up.
Visually
it's pretty obnoxious
but it's hardest for the people who clean it up
Newman said. They clean it up and they're out there again.
Custodians on East Green spend about 15 minutes every morning sweeping up cigarette butts outside entrances to buildings, according to Tate.
Groundskeepers spend about 50 hours a day cleaning up litter, Whitney said. Part of that time is spent on removing cigarette butts by sweeping or raking them up.
I could keep five people employed full-time just picking up cigarette butts
and that's at $35
