Your legal responsibilities
Our Environment Local Law requires all businesses to:
- store waste material, including cigarettes, in an approved container
- maintain the cleanliness of the area around their premises.
Under the Environment Protection Act 2017, fines of up to $814 apply to individuals for incorrect disposal of a cigarette butt and up to $4070 to businesses.
Did you know?
Up to two-thirds of all cigarette butts are discarded on roads, footpaths and green spaces. Most end up in Melbourne’s waterways, making up about one-third of the one billion items of litter entering our waterways each year. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a non-biodegradable plastic which leach chemicals in soil and water that becomes toxic to marine life.
Preventing cigarette butt litter
Here are some ways your business can help prevent cigarette butt litter:
- Provide suitable receptacles at your premises for the disposal of cigarette butt litter, ensuring they are inside the building line.
- Display a ‘Butt it, then Bin it!’ sticker or sign.
- Educate your staff and customers about the correct disposal of cigarette butts.
- If butts are littered outside your premises, clean them up. Sweep them into a rubbish bin and not into the gutter.
Providing appropriate butt litter bins for your business is one way to make it easy for people to dispose of their butts properly and to meet your legal responsibilities. Once the bins are installed, it is essential that they are regularly emptied and cleaned so they operate efficiently.
Cigarette butt calculator
Use our cigarette butt calculator to estimate how many butts your business needs to dispose of so you can order the right bin for your needs.
Butt bin information
Freestanding ashtrays
Freestanding ashtrays provide a safe and cost-effective way of collecting cigarette litter. Many can also double as bollards.
Wall/post mounted ashtrays
These ashtrays feature butting-out surfaces with holes for cigarette disposal. They can be placed at any desired height and can be easily relocated to where smokers congregate.
You may need a permit to install a wall-mounted ashtray. Contact us for more information.
Furniture ashtrays
These units with in-built receptacles for cigarette litter are used for outdoor environments.
Windproof ashtrays
Most appropriate for outdoor café and restaurant environments, enclosed windproof ashtrays provide diners with a table-top alternative to dropping their butts on the ground.
Personal ashtrays
Personal ashtrays are designed to fit in your pocket or handbag. They encourage smokers to take personal responsibility for their waste.
Trans-Port-Able ashtrays
These ashtrays are shaped like a cup and are designed to fit in the cup-holder of your car, truck, boat, etc.
Street litter bins
The City of Melbourne provides street litter bins, many of which have a butt-out surface on the top. Smokers are encouraged to grind out their butt on the surface at the top of the bin and then place the butt inside the bin. This stops lit butts creating fires in the bins and reduces the risk of butts being blown away to create more litter.
| Company name | Address | Phone / Email | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| No BuTTs External link | PO Box 1010 Williamstown VIC 3016 | 1300 662 888 info@nobutts.com.au |
|
| Butt Out Australia | PO Box 2007 Hotham Hill VIC 3051 | 1800 358 258 sales@buttoutaustralia.com.au |
|
| EnviroPoles External link | 210 Albert Road Albert Park VIC 3206 | 1300 4 BUTTS info@enviropoles.com |
|
| Maloney Marketing | PO Box 627 Emerald VIC 3782 | 03 5968 6200 0418 362 618 gabby@internetworks.com.au |
|
| AP Furniture Agencies | PO Box 121 Avoca Beach NSW 2251 | 02 4382 4025 0402 346 597 pamelapigott@bigpond.com |
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| Draffin-Inwel External link | PO Box 165 Bayswater VIC 3153 | 03 9720 1033 |
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| CIG BIN | 44 Rolling Hills Road Chirnside Park VIC 3116 | Paul Funnell: 0403 123 405 paulfunnell@methven.com.au David Funnell: 0417 584 838 davidfunnell@methven.com.au |
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| Eco-Elegance External link | PO Box 271 Tullamarine VIC 3043 | 1300 651 560 corton@plctrade.com.au |
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| KESAB Environmental Solutions External link | 214 Grange Road Flinders Park SA 5025 | 08 8234 7255 0413 877 875 admin@kesab.asn.au |
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| SETON Australia External link | PO Box 395 Regents Park NSW 2143 | 1800 651 173 seton_aust@seton.com |
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| Kareela Distributions | 56 Tenth Avenue Raymond Island VIC 3880 | 0438 567 713 garrykenner@netspace.net.au |
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| Stelco External link | PO Box 87 Wahroonga NSW 2076 | 02 9963 0654 0402 075 000 |
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