CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFTS) — The City of Clearwater wants to get rid of the most common type of trash on its beaches, no ifs, ands, or butts — cigarettes butts, that is.
Last Friday, the city held its first reading for an ordinance that would ban any cigarette or e-cigarette from its public beaches or parks.
"The way I see it, we're trying to change habits. We're trying to send the message, don't litter on our beaches," said council member Lina Teixeira.
City leaders returned to the dais Monday for a workshop. However, the conversation was short. In fact, they didn't bring up any existing questions or concerns with the ban.
The final step is a second reading and official vote. That's scheduled to happen Thursday, solidifying the ban.
In 2021, Ocean Conservancy's Annual International Coastal Cleanup removed 78,000 cigarette butts from Florida's coast alone. Globally, they removed 1.2 million.
It's no surprise that cigarette waste is the most common type found on beaches.
Keep Pinellas Beautiful Executive Director Pat DePlasco narrowed that down, bringing the BeBot out last July to clean up around Pinellas County beaches.
"The robot ran, and it ran under the first 2 inches of sand to pick up the trash that was left behind. And, what was again, what was the largest amount of litter, or item of litter, and it was Cigarette," DePlasco said.
She explained that most people have a misconception about what they leave behind once they're done with their cigarettes.
"They think, 'Oh, it's paper, you know, it's just going to Biodegrade'. Well, what ends up happening is the filters have carcinogens in there, and they're not good for the animal life. They're not good for people, obviously."
The city's move is more focused on educating people about the dangers of smoking and leaving the litter behind as opposed to citing or fining smokers.
If the ban is passed, the city will get to work placing signs and issuing pamphlets for businesses and hotels in the area to distribute.
Again, that final vote is set for Thursday. You find the proposed ordinance here.
