Dee Williams, manager of ReStore in Delray Beach stands by smoking urns donated by The Park Catalo
The Park and Facilities Catalog recently donated three smoking urns to Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County, a great cause that helps citizens achieve the American dream of owning a home or improving the one they're in.
Adding smoking urns to any location is a great cause as well because discarded cigarettes are the No. 1 source of litter in America.
First a little bit about Habitat for Humanity. The Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County is a non-profit organization that assists families in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. Since 1991 the group has "empowered" more than 120 families to finance and move into a home of their own.
Okay, most people have heard about how Habitat for Humanity helps to build homes for people.
But they do so much more.
For example, they also oversee a Neighborhood Revitalization Program with services such as "A Brush With Kindness" or "Critical Home Repair." These programs assist with community clean ups, landscaping, minor exterior home repairs and exterior painting.
Maintaining a home is a big, ongoing job. Many families have parents that work and even work multiple jobs so they don't have the time, expertise or the funds to keep their homes the way they would like to. Humanity helps here as well.
Few people also know that Habitat for Humanity has a Veterans Build Initiative that helps our hero veterans get into a home. That's certainly a noble cause for people who put their lives on the line for their country.
Another great program is the Habitat ReStore. If you have never been in one of their stores, ReStores are a great way to spend a few hours browsing through thousands of donated items that keeps the local Habitats in operation.
There are two stores run by this group - the Boca Raton ReStore and the Delray Beach ReStore.
These ReStores are all over the country. As the national site says, "One person's donation is another person's treasure."
At these ReStores you can find appliances, furniture such as sofas, chairs, tables, dressers, bed frames, coffee tables, entertainment centers, filing cabinets, books shelves etc. Contractors and builders will donate plenty of usable building materials such as doors, plywood, insulation, unused lumber, trim, brick/block, fencing, door knobs, toilets, sinks, faucets, tile, carpet, fans, counter tops. Residents also donate plenty of dishes, glass ware and other items.
The merchandise is not all household items either. ReStore accepts donations of game tables, boats, jet skis and RVS.
Now, here's a little insider's secret. Sometimes you can find really, really special items in a ReStore. For example, when Tiger Woods's ex-wife, Elin Nordegren was demolishing a 12,000 square foot mansion in North Palm Beach, she donated a bunch of items to the ReStore in Martin County.
Those items included six incredibly ornate sinks - unique items you would definitely not find in a Home Depot or Lowes.
That's the point. Check out the ReStores - you never know what you will find or who is donating. (And when you visit, make a side trip to your garage and bring along items you no longer need and would like to give to a very, worthy cause.).
In fact, it was for their ReStores that Habitat requested the smoking urns from The Park Catalog.
Smart move.
Because here's another thing most people don't know. Cigarette butt litter is the No. 1 source of litter in America.
Lack of smoking urns cited as major problem
According to PreventCigaretteLitter.org, a recent survey of 1,000 smokers revealed that 35% of them admit to tossing five or more cigarette butts on the ground every day.
Smoking urns and trash can
Discarded cigarettes account for 32% of all litter in outdoor recreation areas. Tobacco products account for 38% of all litter on highways.
This stuff not only pollutes our land, but much of it also ends up in our rivers and oceans. The Ocean Conservancy says cigarette butts as the most common item they find in cleanups, making up about 32% of all trash collected.
There are a few major reasons to blame for this crisis. First, most smokers don't realize the impact they are creating. They might think one little cigarette butt certainly can't be a problem. But when you add all of them up, they are a big problem.
Second, PreventCigaretteLitter.org says there are just not enough smoking urns and outdoor ashtrays provided to give smokers an opportunity to properly discard their trash.
The biggest point of cigarette litter occurs at transition points. Places where smokers must put out a cigarette before entering an office, store or school. A full one-third of all litter at these places is from cigarettes. Obviously, if you are a facility or park manager looking to cut down on cigarette litter, place smoking urns strategically in these locations.
In fact, place several smoking urns. The great advantage of smoking urns as opposed to just trash receptacles is that many are self-extinguishing, so the smoker can be assured their discarded cigarette won't start a fire like it might in a trash can. That will make the difference between tossing it on the ground or properly disposing it in an outdoor ashtray.
Another issue is the lack of ashtrays in automobiles. Have you noticed? Most vehicles no longer include ashtrays? Since 1990, automobile manufacturers have stopped adding them. Instead, following the demands of consumers, they are adding more cup holders, cell phone holders, garage door holders, extra storage, etc. instead.
Smokers can order cars with "smoker's packages" but they will have to pay more. How often is that going to happen? Instead, that driver will just roll down the window and toss their cigarette out onto the highway.
Where it makes a mess. Where it may eventually make its way into the storm runoff and float down a river on its way to an ocean.
Only about 10% of ALL the cigarettes smoked end up in smoking urns or ash receptacles. That means 90% of them becomes litter. That's way too much.
Businesses, parks, shopping centers, malls, schools, and other organizations need to pay attention to this number.
Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County just took this step. And all it takes is for others to make the same step.
Just like building a foundation for a home, providing an adequate number of smoking urns or outdoor ashtrays in key public areas builds a foundation for a cleaner America.