Keep America Beautiful Announces Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grant Recipients, Delivering $295,000 to 42 Organizations

STAMFORD, Conn., March 26, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, today announced the awarding of grant funding to 42 communities as part of its Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. In addition, new marketing resources will be unveiled later this spring to help grant recipients and participating organizations spread the word in the fight to combat cigarette litter, the leading form of litter in America.

New grants from Keep America Beautiful, totaling $295,000, will be distributed to 42 organizations through the 2018 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. Keep America Beautiful affiliates, local governments, business improvement districts, downtown associations, parks and recreation areas, and other organizations dedicated to ending litter and beautifying communities are receiving grants. Since the establishment of the national initiative, communities in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Canada have implemented the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program to reduce cigarette litter. Throughout its history, the program has helped reduce cigarette litter in the communities in which it has been implemented by an average of 50 percent.

“The 2018 grant recipients are charged with moving the program forward to help educate and inspire smokers to do the right thing,” said Helen Lowman, Keep America Beautiful president and CEO. “The new marketing assets, which any community can localize and use, will enable affiliates, local governments, and other community groups to teach adult smokers about the negative impacts related to littering and the role they can play in improving their community.”

Since its establishment over 16 years ago, the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program has consistently cut cigarette butt litter by approximately half based on local measurements taken in the first four months to six months after program implementation.  Survey results also demonstrate that as communities continue to implement and monitor the program those reductions are sustained or even increased over time. Keep America Beautiful has distributed over $3 million in grant funding to support local implementation of the program in more than 1,700 communities nationwide.

Last year, Cigarette Litter Prevention Program grants provided by Keep America Beautiful funded implementations across the country in a variety of settings including downtowns, roadways, beaches, parks, marinas, colleges/universities, tourist locations, and at special event locations. In addition, Keep America Beautiful piloted a new type of ash receptacle in partnership with UK-based Hubbub, known as the Ballot Bin, to fight litter. The bins were found to be successful forms of behavior change with some pilot sites showing as much as 83 percent reduction in cigarette litter.

To address cigarette butt litter, Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program advocates that communities integrate four proven approaches:

• Encourage enforcement of litter laws, including cigarette litter;
• Raise awareness about the issue using public service messages;
• Place ash receptacles at transition points such as entrances to public buildings; and
• Distribute pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers.

The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program is supported by funding from Philip Morris USA, an Altria company; RAI Services Company; and the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.

About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Celebrating its 65th Anniversary in 2018, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.

Behavior change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community and environmental stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, educational curricula, practical advice and other resources. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.

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Recipients of 2018 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grants

City of Branson Missouri    
City of San Marcos Main Street    
City of Santa Barbara Waterfront    
Colfax Ave Business Improvement District    
Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc.    
Downtown Frederick Partnership    
EcoSuperior Environmental Programs    
Gaudenzia Erie, Inc.    
Go Lloyd    
Grand Island Area Clean Community System    
Green Youngstown    
I Love A Clean San Diego    
Keep Alliance Beautiful    
Keep Anderson County Beautiful    
Keep Baltimore Beautiful    
Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful    
Keep Charlotte Beautiful, Inc.    
Keep Denton Beautiful    
Keep Euclid Beautiful    
Keep Golden Isles Beautiful    
Keep Jefferson Parish Beautiful    
Keep Lewisville Beautiful
Keep Lexington-Fayette Beautiful
Keep New Hanover Beautiful
Keep North Little Rock Beautiful
Keep Ohio Beautiful
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
Keep Philadelphia Beautiful
Keep Tennessee Beautiful
Keep the Shoals Beautiful
Keep Tyler Beautiful
Keep Van Buren Beautiful
Keep Virginia Beautiful
Keep Virginia Beach Beautiful
Longmont Downtown Development Authority
Marquette Downtown Development Authority
Naturally, Newport News
Rock Hill Clean & Green
SOLVE
Spokane County
The Green Team
Town of Emmitsburg