01-07-2025
New bin installed in Devon town to tackle cigarette litter
A fourth cigarette ballot bin has been installed in Exmouth to tackle litter and plastic pollution.
Exmouth Town Council, in partnership with Plastic Free Exmouth and Harbour View Café, introduced the bin on Tuesday, June 24.
The initiative is part of a campaign to cut down cigarette litter and protect the town's beach.
The ballot bin, located at the Harbour View Café, joins three others already in place at Exmouth Railway Club (GWRSA), Exmouth Pavilion and The Bath House.
Exmouth expands anti-litter drive with creative 'jam or cream' bin (Image: Exmouth Town Council) Zoey Cooper, the climate officer from Exmouth Town Council, thanked the café for their support, saying: "Their involvement goes beyond this project – they're also one of three local cafés participating in the Exmouth Cup scheme, which enables customers to borrow and return reusable cups."
Jill Gathercole of Plastic Free Exmouth explained the motivation behind the project.
She said: "Since forming in 2019, our group has led hundreds of beach cleans and litter picks across Exmouth.
"Cigarette butts and smoking-related litter are the most commonly found items – especially on our beautiful beach."
She added that cigarette butts, which make up 66 per cent of all littered items in the UK, are a major environmental concern as they do not biodegrade and break down into microplastics.
Smokers vote with butts in quirky bin tackling beach pollution (Image: Exmouth Town Council) The ballot bin acts as a novel approach to addressing the issue, encouraging smokers to vote on quirky questions by disposing of their cigarette butts in one of two compartments.
The bin at Harbour View poses the question: Jam or cream first?
Deputy mayor Dianne Conduit commented: "Whether it's cats vs. dogs or jam vs. cream, a light-hearted question gets people thinking and nudges them to engage positively.
"The ballot bin offers a creative solution that both entertains and educates."
This initiative is part of Exmouth Town Council's wider commitment to tackling single-use plastic waste across the community.
The council supports a range of initiatives, including a real nappy scheme, awareness campaigns in schools and colleges promoting reusable period products and the Exmouth Cup reusable cup scheme launched in 2022.
They have also announced the return of 'Samudra', a plastic-eating sea serpent sculpture, to Sideshore.
