A new anti-litter campaign has hit Forbes and residents are being invited to join in the fun.
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In a first for Forbes, a butt bin ballot box has been installed in Lions Park.
Forbes Shire Council says the bin will allow residents and visitors alike to dispose of their cigarette butts appropriately.
But smokers can also cast their vote on a light-hearted everyday question using butts as a ballot chip.
“It’s designed to be a bit of fun with a serious purpose,” Forbes Shire Council’s General Manager Danny Green said.
The installation of the butt bin is aimed at reducing the number of cigarette butts in the parks and streets of Forbes.
It has been strategically positioned in Lions Park to help keep the lake foreshore litter free.
“On average cigarette butts contain over 4000 chemicals and take in excess of one and a half years to break down,” Mr Green said.
“It’s important to do everything we can to keep them out of the lake, one of our Shire’s most important cultural and environmental assets.”
Butt bins were first introduced in the United Kingdom in 2015 and immediately went viral on social media.
The Forbes butt bin ballot box is part of an initiative of Netwaste, the NSW Environmental Protection Authority and Forbes Shire Council.
The first question will be “Are you a resident of Forbes or are you a visitor?”
It’s there now.
Smokers will have a fortnight to cast their ballot before the winning answer is announced.
A new question will then go up.
