#NoMoreButts
#NoMoreButts
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    • Home
    • About
      • About Us
      • Structure
      • Volunteer
      • Partnerships
    • Donate
    • Solutions
      • CigCycle
      • Services
    • Campaigns
      • Big Butt Hunt
      • Vapes
      • Cairns Butt Poles
      • Previous Campaigns
    • Resources
      • Report a Litterer
      • Data Collection
      • Blog
      • Media Centre
      • Downloads
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Structure
    • Volunteer
    • Partnerships
  • Donate
  • Solutions
    • CigCycle
    • Services
  • Campaigns
    • Big Butt Hunt
    • Vapes
    • Cairns Butt Poles
    • Previous Campaigns
  • Resources
    • Report a Litterer
    • Data Collection
    • Blog
    • Media Centre
    • Downloads

CAN WE GRAB YOUR BUTT?

Tackling cigarette butt litter in Cairns

No More Butts is on a mission to keep cigarette butts out of the environment.


Why? Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. Additionally, they are actually a plastic. Not only do they make Gimuy look bad, but the toxic chemicals leak into the environment, hurting Land and Sea Country.

THE ISSUE

Most Littered Item

Using population estimates, we can establish that approximately 800,000 cigarette butts are littered around the Cairns region each week.


Around 40% of littered cigarette butts end up in our waterways. With the proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, we all have a responsibility to protect it.

Plastics and Chemicals

Cigarette butts are actually plastic. Thousands of plastic microfibers are glued together to make each cigarette filter. Although it looks like cotton wool, it's deadly to our environment. Toxic chemicals captured in the filter during smoking leach into soil and waterways when littered.

Not biodegradable

Cigarette butts are not biodegradable - they are photodegradable.
This means that they rely on elements, such as UV from the sun to decompose. It can take up to 15 years for a cigarette butt to decompose, creating toxic microplastics along this journey. 

THE SOLUTION

Infrastructure

Fit-for-purpose bins are an important part of the solution. Cairns Regional Council has dozens of butt bins across the CBD. Part of this program is to highlight these bins and showcase First Nations artwork to connect people to the poles and encourage them to do the right thing for the environment.

Awareness

Smokers and non-smokers alike have a responsibility to make sure cigarette butts do not end up in our environment. Have a respectful conversation with your mob and ask them if they know cigarette butts are plastic and the impact that littering a butt can have on Country. 

Clean Up

Although cleaning up really should be the last resort, until more people are aware of the issue, cigarette butts will continue to be littered, so we all have a responsibility to clean them up.  

THE ARTIST: JAYMEN DRAHM

Biography

Jaymen Drahm Garna, a 36-year-old artist from Gimuy, Cairns in North Queensland, embodies creativity and connection to his culture.


With talents spanning digital imagery, storytelling, dance and visual arts, Jaymen's work reflects his deep respect for the natural world.


His recent collaboration with No More Butts and the Cairns Regional Council brought to life a piece of art that illustrates the bond between the mountains and the oceans. Symbolising how caring for the land ensures the prosperity of future generations.


Honored to share his story, Jaymen continues to inspire through his artistic journey, working towards a brighter, more sustainable future.

A LITTLE LITTER IS A BIG PROBLEM

LEARN ABOUT CLEAN CREEKS

WATCH THE Video

Stay tuned for the video upload, documenting the process of designing and installing the stickers and our next Big Butt Hunt.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Reducing cigarette butt litter in Cairns through community education

This project was made possible with funding from Cairns Regional Council.


The Sustainability and Climate Action Grant supports community-led initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, restore ecosystem health or strengthen community resilience to the impacts of climate change.

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We recognise they have cared and maintained the beautiful environment for time immemorial. We would like to pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Indigenous communities.

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