Ballot bins help keep cigarette butts off the ground

Ballot butt bin mounted in Dawson Mall encourages smokers to use their spent cigarettes to voice their opinion.

Western Sydney Wanderers keeper, Matthew Symes encourages smokers not to litter. Picture: David Swift

• Man wins $10,000 with Instant Scratch-It
• Author’s out to inspire kids to read
• Social media campaign for fair go

The people of Mt Druitt can now vote with their butts – their cigarette butts, that is.

A bright yellow bin has been mounted in Dawson Mall in Mt Druitt with a topic question – designed to encourage the opinionated to have their say, and two clear windows for each answer.

The initiative is designed to encourage smokers to put their butts in the bin and stop littering.

A ‘voter’ places his butt in one of two sides of the bin, and the side with the most butts wins.

The first question was: Who is the better team - Wanderers or Sydney FC?

At the time of our photo, the Wanderers were a few puffs ahead of Sydney FC.

The question will be changed on a regular basis until the bins are taken down in December.

This week’s question will appeal to headbangers: ACDC or Metallica?

Smokers are being asked to vote with their butts at Mt Druitt where Blacktown council has installed a novelty cigarette bin. Picture: David Swift

According to the 2015/16 National Litter Index, cigarette butts make up 43 per cent of the total litter stream.

About 20 million cigarette butts are dropped around Australia daily (seven billion a year), costing taxpayers a whopping $350 million.

Keep Australia Beautiful CEO Philip Robinson said all Australians, whether smoking or non-smoking, should ensure they put their rubbish in the bin.

“Litter is everyone’s problem and we all need to work together to tackle the issue,” Mr Robinson said.

“Although the number of cigarette butt litter is decreasing year-on-year, we still have a long way to go.

“Cigarette butts might be small, but it’s a big problem for Australia.”

Ballot butt bins are designed to Keep Australia Beautiful. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The bin received a mixed reaction from locals but Belinda Flaherty, of Mt Druitt, said it was a great idea.

“It keeps the stuff off the ground,” Ms Flaherty said.

“I think people need to take more pride in their area and try to keep it a bit tidier than what it is.”

While the Western Sydney Wanderers do not encourage smoking, goalkeeper Matthew Symes encouraged smokers to do the right thing.

“There’s nothing better than living in a clean healthy country; you don’t want to be walking around looking at rubbish everywhere,” Mr Symes said.

Cigarette butts account for 43 per cent of Australian litter each year. Picture: Stanton J Stephens

“We don’t want a polluted country ... Put it in the bin.

“If you had to put (your butt) in one of these, I definitely say put it in the Wanderers.”

Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali said he hoped the idea would reduce the financial burden on council.

“A ‘ballot bin’ ... is one of the innovative methods introduced in Blacktown in a bid to reduce the $14.78 million spent by Western Sydney councils every year on litter,” Cr Bali said.

The ballot bin campaign was first trialled by Hubbub in the UK as part of the Neat Streets program in 2015 and was launched in the Blacktown Council LGA as part of Keep Australia Beautiful Week 2016.

Another ballot bin is located near the post office on Main St, Blacktown.