Smokers' Litter

A STAGGERING 67 per cent of all street litter is smoker-generated, whether in the form of butts, packets or wrapping, according to Limerick County Council. And environmental education officer, Pauline McDonagh added that "it can take up to five years for a cigarette butt to disintegrate”. She also stressed that there is visible evidence that the smoking ban has increased litter in Limerick. To counteract this, the County Council is urging smokers to start using the portable ashtrays which are available free of charge from any Council office or library. The ashtrays are small plastic boxes with a snap-shut lid and they are designed to clip onto a belt, inside pocket or bag-pocket. Ms McDonagh explained that they work in the same way as a car ashtray. Each one can take up to 10 cigarettes and once they are closed all air is excluded and a butt extinguishes itself. Over 4,000 of these were distributed in advance of the smoking ban last year. But now, the Council wants to remind people to carry these portable ashtrays, or to pick one up if they don’t have one. Anyone dropping litter faces an on-the-spot fine of 125 euro, so this is another reason to call into your local area Council office or library to pick one up, she added. Last year, the Irish Business Against Litter association (IBAL) estimated that the smoking ban had increased the level of cigarette butts in public areas by some 20 per cent and called for the local authorities to step up enforcement. And Ms McDonough said that the smoking ban certainly has "pushed smokers outdoors, but the butts don’t just go away”. EXETER - Since Rhode Is-land became a smoke-free state on March 1; local businesses are feeling the affects to varying de-grees. Owners of Homestead Restaurant on South County Trail and Middle of Nowhere Diner on Route 3 are hoping to accommodate customers with outside smoking areas. Whereas, JPL’s Exeter Pub, on Route 3, is losing the bulk of its business and is in fear of closing, according to long-time bartender Linda Rostenkowski.

Matthew Thule, an owner of Homestead Restaurant, is seeking a liquor license expansion so that he can fence off an area out-side the building where customers can enjoy a smoke and a drink. A public hearing will take place at the regular town council meeting in June.” I noticed the customers were going outside," said Thule.