A new motion that’s going through to Toronto city council this week may require restaurants, bars, and other business owners to clean up cigarette butts that are littered outside of their establishments.
#Toronto – A motion going to city council this week could make it a requirement for business owners to clean up cigarette butts outside their establishment. The motion would require sidewalks to be free of butts as part of business licence! https://t.co/X7DZNgkq2k
— Torontonian ????? (@Toronto_nian) April 15, 2019
“It’s pretty ugly out there on our public streets,” Ward 9, Davenport, councillor Ana Bailao explained to Metro Morning. “The snow is melting and we see these piles of cigarette butts all over.”
Bailao’s motion, Keeping our Streets Clean from Cigarette Butt Litter, is set to be brought forward on Wednesday, and she explains that she’s been contacted by several people in her ward who are frustrated with the piles of cigarette butts on busy streets in the spring. In addition to cleaning up sidewalks, the new regulations would require businesses to install cigarette butt disposal receptacles near the sidewalk. “As a city we can come together and do better,” Bailao stated.
Too often cigarette butts end up littered in parks or on city streets. They cause our city to look dirty and are harmful to the environment. Please dispose of your butts properly. https://t.co/1b1ndSQusj pic.twitter.com/A74OFfdguH
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) April 13, 2019
In particular, Bailao is focusing on restaurants and bars, stating that they see a “higher than normal consumption of cigarettes” in front of them. Although the regulations seem to solely revolve around businesses, Bailao adds that some responsibility should be put on the person who litters, but the city and its businesses need to offer “the conditions to have that happen.”
Listen to the full interview below.
Lead photo courtesy of Lindsay Fox.