Ames Today

Efforts to keep Ames’ streets free from trash received a boost recently with help from a national grant. Keep America Beautiful awarded Ames Public Works nearly $5,000 in funding and ash receptacles to develop a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.

The pilot program funded the installation of 20 ash receptacles in high pedestrian areas along Main Street in Downtown Ames and Welch Avenue in Campustown. Ames Public Works interns and staff mounted the containers by securing them to streetlights in both districts. Collected litter will be sent free of charge to TerraCycle, a company that recycles waste material by separating the components and combining them with other recycled waste to make usable products like outdoor furniture. 

“Cigarettes are the most littered item in the country,” said Stormwater Resource Analyst Liz Calhoun. “This litter pollutes the environment and can have dire consequences for fish, birds, and other wildlife who often mistake it for food. By using these public ash receptacles to properly dispose of cigarette litter, you can help protect our environment and wildlife,” she added. 

For more information on this project and other ways to keep litter out of the environment, contact Liz Calhoun, Stormwater Resource Analyst, at 515.239.5575 or liz.calhoun@cityofames.org, or visit to www.CityOfAmes.org\SmartWatersheds.

Original source can be found here.