Tuesday, May 12, 2020

University partners with city to cut litter

One university in Central Illinois is teaming up with a city to make sure people are keeping the earth clean.

The University of Illinois Springfield is working with CWLP in Springfield to put up bins where people can safely discard their cigarette butts. They are located near Lake Springfield.

The two-sided bins have questions on each side letting you cast your vote while cutting down pollution. “A lot of people see cigarette butts as something semi-natural. Thinking that it’s made out of tobacco products and stuff but actually there is a lot of plastic in it. It’s almost 75 percent plastic and so there’s a lot of toxins that can get into the waterways,” said Anne-Marie Hanson, UIS associate professor of environmental studies.

They plan to leave the voting bins up indefinitely.

This story appeared on WCIA on May 12, 2020.

Watch the entire story online.