 "Photo: Suzanne Caraker ~ Daily Egyptain")
Ingrid Hansen said there should be fines for people who litter cigarette butts, and some SIUC officials have agreed.
Hansen, 50, has lived off of Sunset Drive in Carbondale for more than 20 years, and said she often has to pick up cigarette butts out of her driveway that are thrown there by students and community members passing by. She said cigarette waste has become more of a problem, and officials should be doing something about it.
“I don’t care about cigarettes; I just care where they put them out,” Hansen said. “They just throw them down like it’s nothing.”
Kris Schachel, president of Keep Carbondale Beautiful — a community organization for litter control — said cigarette filters are a form of plastic and take 10 to 15 years to break down. She said studies show that even butts swept away by heavy rains can end up in the water systems, lakes and rivers, causing pollution and threats to wildlife.
“From an aesthetic viewpoint, (cigarette butts) are not appealing to the eye, and they’re not good for businesses.”
Keep Carbondale Beautiful organizes citywide cleanups and is affiliated with Keep America Beautiful — the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, she said. According to the Keep America Beautiful Web site, cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S, and only 10 percent of cigarette butts are thrown away.
City Councilman Joel Fritzler said he has suggested enforcing litter laws or increasing the fines, which are now between $50 and $150. However, he’s never heard of anyone who received one.
“Everyday just driving, I’ll see a smoker flip one out the window,” Fritzler said. “It’s definitely a problem.”
Todd Sigler, director of SIUC Public Safety, said campus police have a littering law, but they don’t enforce it. He said there have been areas of campus that seem to collect cigarette waste, but he doesn’t think it is a problem.
“It’s a matter of available resources and priorities,” Sigler said. “It’s one of those things we like to see people self-police.”
Sigler said the university’s budget problems and struggles to staff campus police have limited the department, though it does what it can.
“I suppose if complaints are coming in, then maybe there’s a problem,” Sigler said.
Julie Payne Kirchmeier, director of University Housing, said the university has placed several benches 15 feet away from buildings where students can smoke. She also has worked on installing cigarette butt receptacles in key locations.
“Enforcing the smoking policy is always a challenge, but since the university passed the no-smoking policy in the buildings, it has gotten somewhat easier,” Kirchmeier said.
Hansen said some businesses provide ashtrays for employees who smoke, but more businesses should be forced to install them.
“Even if there is an ashtray, I still (see) butts within inches of the tray,” Hansen said. “Someone needs to send a message to people.”
Christina Spakousky can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 258.
