This Campaign Stops Brits Polluting UK Waterways with Cigarette Butts

UK-based independent environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has today launched a new behaviour change campaign to highlight the environmental damage caused by dropping cigarette butts into drains. 

Research by Keep Britain Tidy reveals that up to 5,000 cigarette butts end up in a single drain every year in Britain. With over 1,000,000 drains nationwide, this presents an unprecedented volume of cigarette butts ending up in UK waterways. 

To raise awareness and encourage behavioural change, VCCP London and Good Relations partnered with a renowned pub, The White Swan, in Twickenham, to temporarily rename it to 'The Poisoned Swan' serving as a bold statement on the impact of improperly discarded cigarette butts on wildlife as they end up in rivers and waterways. 

The initiative comes as the latest data from the environmental charity shows that cigarette butts make up 56% of all litter found in drains, with the hospitality industry having one of the highest volumes of littered cigarette butts outside their premises. To tackle this misconception, VCCP took over 'The Poisoned Swan' to raise awareness among patrons. Specially designed posters, beer mats, and drain stencils were used to remind smokers to dispose of cigarette butts responsibly, ensuring the message was both visible and memorable. VCCP also changed their hanging sign, using a beautiful and disruptive illustration depicting a sick swan surrounded by cigarette butts. In the UK, many drains link directly to local watercourses, rivers and the sea. Cigarette butts are made out of plastic, which means they are non biodegradable and they also contain over 7,000 different chemicals. Just one cigarette butt can contaminate up to 1,000 litres of water. 

Leading the campaign, as an ambassador, was comedian Johnny Vegas, best known for his role as Geoff Maltby in the ITV sitcom Benidorm. As a former smoker, Vegas once faced a fine for dropping a cigarette butt down a drain instead of binning it, which was a moment that sparked a humorous exchange with Doncaster Council on Twitter. His experience highlights his personal journey toward behaving more responsibly, making him an ideal advocate for the campaign’s message. He comments: “It seems a lot of smokers don’t realise they’re doing more harm than good by disposing of their butts in drains. I was one of them! I was once fined for throwing my ciggie down a drain. But it is littering and does have a big impact - so make sure you use a bin or a pocket ashtray to dispose of them correctly.”

Keep Britain Tidy has been working with local authorities to provide portable ashtrays, ‘Butt Boxes’ and stencils around drains which has resulted in a 57% decrease in cigarette litter down  in test areas. This broader initiative aims to disrupt smokers' habits and encourage proper disposal methods, as demonstrated in VCCP London’s ongoing campaign ‘Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish’. The best disposal methods for cigarette butts include bins and Butt Boxes (portable ashtrays which can be ordered here from Keep Britain Tidy). 

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy said, “Cigarette butts are the country’s - and the world’s - most widespread litter problem with billions being thrown on the ground or dropped down drains every year. These cigarette butts are made out of plastic and are covered in toxins, poisoning our environment. Many smokers believe that putting their butt down the drain is the right thing to do, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Once cigarette butts reach out waterways, they wreak havoc with the environment - in fact just one butt can contaminate up to 1,000 litres of water and harm wildlife. As a charity, we are thrilled that the White Swan and Johnny Vegas are joining us to educate, change behaviours and substantially reduce cigarette litter.”

Frances Leach, creative director at VCCP London said, “It's shocking, just how much damage one dropped cigarette butt can do, particularly to Britain's wildlife. So many pubs are named after these animals we're harming, so what better way to get people’s attention on the issue, in a moment when they could also be smoking, than to hijack their beloved local. Not only did we change the name, but we worked with an artist to create a beautiful but disruptive illustration of a sick swan surrounded by cigarette butts, to replace their traditional hanging pub sign. This, along with posters, drain stencils and bespoke beermats, got our message out there loud and clear.”