Submitting member has a registered interest.
That the Parliament welcomes the launch of a campaign to cleanse the streets of Stirling from what it sees as the blight of discarded cigarette butts; understands that Go Forth Stirling, which is a registered limited company that manages the Stirling Business Improvement District (BID), has teamed up with the environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy, in a bid to eradicate cigarette waste, by encouraging smokers with the message "Bin Your Butts"; notes that the charity has supplied the BID with sand-filled bucket bins, posters and cigarette butt boxes for smokers, featuring its character, Drake the Duck; believes that these will be distributed at hospitality venues and upcoming events; understands that millions of cigarette butts, containing over 7,000 different chemicals, are discarded on the ground daily, causing environmental harm by breaking down into microplastics and releasing toxins into the soil and waterways; understands that Go Forth Stirling participated in a comparable Keep Britain Tidy initiative recently, working alongside Stirling’s Pubwatch group members, which reduced cigarette littering by 54% by placing bucket bins outside licensed venues; believes that 2025’s initiative includes packages featuring A4-sized posters telling smokers to "Bin Your Butts" and promoting the message "Cigarette Butts Are Rubbish" alongside bucket bins and butt boxes; acknowledges that BIDs are geographically defined areas where businesses come together and agree to invest collectively, by the means of a mandatory levy, 1.25% of rateable value, in projects and services that aim to improve the trading environment, and commends the Go Forth Stirling BID and Keep Britain Tidy on what it sees this excellent, community and environmentally-centred initiative.
Supported by:
Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Tim Eagle, Annabelle Ewing, Murdo Fraser, Meghan Gallacher, Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Craig Hoy, Bill Kidd, Douglas Lumsden, Stuart McMillan, Edward Mountain, Douglas Ross, Paul Sweeney, Evelyn Tweed, Annie Wells, Tess White, Martin Whitfield, Brian Whittle