Dorchester is cleaning up its act towards cigarette butts.

Litter Free Dorset’s #BinYourButt campaign ran throughout October in an attempt to highlight the issue of cigarette butt related litter.

As a response, the Dorchester BID has provided a new cigarette butt bin in a prime location.

The campaign asks people to use appropriate street bins, wall-mounted cigarette bins or a portable ‘stubby bin’ to help achieve a Litter Free Dorset.

In Dorchester, the campaign has been running the higher or lower game, where the number of cigarette butts dropped each week are recorded by the Keeper of the Walks.

The Keeper of the Walks keeps Dorchester streets clean of litter, working in collaboration with the Dorchester BID and the Dorset Waste Partnership.

Over the past seven weeks, the total number of cigarette butts that have been discarded along Dorchester high street has dramatically dropped. Over the course of a week at the start of the campaign there were more than 1,000 cigarette butts being dropped and swept up. Since the campaign started, figures have dropped to around 550.

Charlie Wild, Litter Free Dorset Project Officer said: “It’s been amazing to see how the figures have decreased. When we talk to people about cigarette butt litter, they are shocked to hear there is plastic in the filters, and what chemicals they can contain. We’ve loved seeing how engaged people are with this, as it’s not something people usually talk about.”

Phil Gordon from the Dorchester BID came along to unveil the new wall-mounted cigarette butt bin that is located behind Argos down Prince’s Street.

He said: “The Dorchester BID is proud to be ‘part of the solution’ in Dorchester in helping to keep the county town clean with our Keeper of the Walks project (in partnership with the DWP) and the Butt Bins. The habit of automatically dropping a discarded cigarette butt is for some, a hard one to break but you can’t expect people to do the right thing without giving them the facility of a handy butt bin.”

By providing an additional cigarette bin in a targeted location, the hope is to decrease the number of cigarette butts that get dropped on the floor.

Scott Bailey, Keeper of the Walks has been instrumental in the campaign in Dorchester.

Scott said, “I want to thank all of the people who have taken part in kicking the habit of dropping their cigarette butts and making a difference to the town. It’s a combined effort from the public, the Dorset Waste Partnership and the Street Cleansing Team.”

The Dorset wide #BINYOURBUTT campaign has travelled around Dorset to Dorchester, Ferndown and Swanage. Local businesses and community groups have been getting involved by displaying posters and handing out free portable ashtrays or ‘stubby packs’. If you would like to get involved with the campaign, be sure to contact Litter Free Dorset at litterfreedorset@dorsetcc.gov.uk

You can follow the #BINYOURBUTT campaign by finding Litter Free Dorset on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #BINYOURBUTT