Frýdlant launches clean-up operation to remove cigarette butts from city square

The Mayor of Frýdlant appeals to citizens to maintain order in public spaces

On 13 September, the Czech City of Frýdlant reported that 20 community service workers and employees of the municipal office cleaned the T. G. Masaryk Square on Monday. More specifically, they collected the discarded cigarette butts of smokers who haphazardly throw the remains of their cigarettes on the ground instead of disposing of them in garbage bins.

Filters result in microplastic pollution

According to studies, it is estimated that only a third of cigarette filters end up in the garbage. The rest are flung onto the ground to pollute public spaces, harm the environment, and leach toxic chemicals.

Unfortunately, most smokers do not know the impact of their bad habits, believing that cigarette butts are biodegradable are harmless. In reality, however, cigarette filters take years to degrade. What is more, they result in dangerous microplastic pollution that harms the environment, plants, animals, and even humans. Taking this further, they often end up in waterways, posing a threat to organisms in the water.

Cleaning public spaces and appealing to citizens

Acknowledging the above, the City of Frýdlant has taken matters into its own hands. Mayor of Frýdlant Jiří Stodůlka shared his disapproval of scattering cigarette filters on the ground, noting that public space is shared and all citizens have a duty to keep it clean.

“We appeal to all citizens and visitors of Frýdlant to maintain order in public spaces and to use rubbish bins for the dumping of rubbish, of which there are ten in the square, i.e., a really sufficient amount,” Stodůlka stated.

Furthermore, the mayor revealed that the clean-up operation took an hour and a half. According to him, this is precious time that the municipality’s employees could have used to mow the grass or maintain the city’s property, among others.

The City of Frýdlant performed the same task 6 years ago. Now, it hopes that its efforts will not go unnoticed and that citizens will do their part to keep the city clean and free of litter.

Photographs of the clean-up operation can be seen in the gallery above.