Clean St. John’s has officially launched its Butt Free YYT pilot project.

The project was inspired by the MMSB’s litter audit which found that over 5-million cigarette butts can be found on the streets of St. John’s, and is the number one littered item in the province.

Signs are in 😍💚 Our cigarette butt recycling receptacles are hitting the streets of Downtown St. John's on June 1! pic.twitter.com/ba2vRexvBY

— Clean St. John's (@CleanStJohns) May 21, 2021

40 cigarette butt disposal receptacles have been placed throughout the downtown on Duckworth Street, Water Street, George Street, and Gower Street.

The butts collected will be weighed, counted, and recycled.

Karen Hickman, Executive Director of Clean St. John’s says the project is just as much about changing people’s attitudes as it is about cleaning up the city.

According to Hickman, a lot of people don’t see cigarette butts as litter and are very quick to toss them aside. They’re hoping the campaign will get people thinking about that.