The Municipality West Maas en Waal a “Cigarette Butt Vacuum” for Cleaner Streets
The municipality West Maas en Waal taken a new step in the fight against litter. The West Maas en Waal litter cleanup brigades West Maas en Waal recently West Maas en Waal equipped with a special vacuum cleaner for cigarette butts. This innovative device helps volunteers clean up the cigarette butts that end up on the streets every day more quickly and easily.
Cigarettes in the trash can
Cigarette filters aren’t just a major source of litter; they’re also harmful to the environment. They contain plastic and harmful substances that end up in nature. Lambert Romijnders, coordinator of the litter cleanup brigade in Beneden-Leeuwen, sees firsthand every week just how much work it takes to clean up cigarette butts. “With our new vacuum cleaner, cleanup goes a lot faster than with a litter picker,” says Lambert. “But of course, we’d prefer it if people threw their cigarettes in the trash after putting them out. That’s how we keep West Maas en Waal together.”
Toward a Clean Community
Every village in the municipality has its own litter cleanup team. The volunteers on these teams are dedicated to keeping all the villages clean. Alderman Jan Slootweg is very proud of this: “Thanks in part to the efforts of the litter cleanup teams, our municipality remains clean and livable. With this new cigarette butt vacuum, we’re making their job a lot easier.”
The purchase of the vacuum cleaner aligns with the municipality’s policy to systematically reduce litter and raise residents’ awareness of the impact of small litter on the natural environment. In addition to cleaning up cigarette butts, the municipality also wants to prevent them from ending up on the ground. That is why it is exploring the possibility of placing ashtrays at the “hotspots” where cigarette butts are found on the ground. “But of course, we would prefer to see no litter on the ground at all,” concludes Evert Jan Slootweg.