Ultimately, more trash receptacles and ashtrays downtown are not the solution to cleaning up litter downtown.
During a recent meeting, the Strategic Planning and Partnership Commission returned to the question whether the downtown Jamestown area has enough garbage receptacles and whether placing more garbage cans downtown will help reduce litter. Commission members also touched upon whether more ashtrays downtown will help reduce the amount of cigarette butts that end up on the sidewalks and streets. The consensus was that the areas located next to popular downtown bars yield the greatest amount of cigarette butts on the sidewalks.
"It's a matter of getting those business owners to take pride in going out there in the morning and cleaning it up themselves. It's their customers that are doing it," said Jason Stronz, Jamestown Renaissance Corporation executive director. "It's taking pride in ownership, and what your tenants are doing or what your customers are doing - we're trying to spur more action into people doing it themselves."
One problem the SPPC faces in the cigarette butt problem is more and more businesses downtown are introducing policies which prohibit employees or customers from smoking in certain areas next to businesses. Subsequently, employees and customers are instead smoking in places such as alleys and street corners where they do not have access to garbage cans and ashtrays, and instead throw their cigarette butts on the ground.
The commission cited the area near Kwik Kopy on Third Street as one of the biggest trouble spots.
The James Prendergast Library recently imposed a similar prohibition on smoking on the library grounds and have removed all outdoor ashtrays. Dennis Johnson, head of maintenance at the library, said he hasn't noticed a larger accumulation of cigarette butts on the sidewalks surrounding the library, but also said that, because of how recently the prohibition was imposed, it may be too soon to tell.
Although the commission said that many of the businesses they have contacted have been willing to take more steps to clean up litter around their buildings, the steps they've taken may not be adequate enough.
More businesses, especially with the unusually warm weather Jamestown has experienced during December and January, have taken to hosing down the areas around their buildings. However, because many businesses downtown are located on a slope, the cigarette butts simply flow downhill and accumulate at the bottom.
Responsibility falls upon local businesses to encourage customers and employees to be more responsible, and clean up after customers. The commission also encourages downtown patrons to take more pride in keeping Jamestown beautiful, and curbing environmentally detrimental actions.
For smokers on the go, reusable pocket ashtrays are available for low prices, and are a responsible alternative to throwing cigarette butts on the ground.