Municipality of West Maas en Waal introduces 'cigarette vacuum cleaner' for cleaner streets
The municipality of West Maas en Waal has taken a new step in the fight against litter. The litter brigades of West Maas en Waal now have access to a special vacuum cleaner for cigarette butts. This innovative device helps volunteers to clean up the cigarettes that end up on the streets every day more quickly and easily.
Cigarettes in the trash can
Cigarette filters are not only a major source of litter, they are also harmful to the environment. They contain plastic and harmful substances that end up in nature. Lambert Romijnders, coordinator of the litter brigade in Beneden-Leeuwen, sees every week how much work it takes to clean up cigarettes. "With our new vacuum cleaner, cleaning up is a lot faster than with a grabber," says Lambert. "But of course, we would prefer to see people throw their cigarettes in the trash after extinguishing them. That way, we can keep West Maas en Waal clean together."
On the way to a clean municipality
Every village in the municipality has its own litter brigade. The volunteers in these litter brigades are committed to keeping all villages clean. Alderman Evert Jan Slootweg is very proud of this: "Thanks in part to the efforts of the litter brigades, our municipality remains clean and livable. This new cigarette vacuum cleaner will make their work a lot easier."
The purchase of the vacuum cleaner is in line with municipal policy to structurally reduce litter and make residents aware of the consequences of small waste in nature. In addition to cleaning up cigarettes, the municipality also wants to prevent cigarettes from ending up on the ground. That is why it is looking into the possibility of placing ashtrays at the "hotspots" where cigarettes are found on the ground. "But of course, we would prefer to see no litter on the ground at all," concludes Evert Jan Slootweg.