Winnipeg hipsters asked to curb butts

WINNIPEG, Saskatchewan, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Folks in a hip part of Winnipeg are launching a full-court press on cigarette butts in a campaign to reduce litter, Canadians say.

Residents of the Osborne Village district spent $2,000 on special receptacles for spent smokes that have been set up at seven locations around town and have also been issuing small pouches that people can use to stash their butts until they can dispose of them properly.

The new containers seemed to catch on quickly. Resident Marcel Goulet told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that he planned to toss the cigarette he was nearly finished with "and just keep going."

"It takes about 2 seconds," Goulet said.

The campaign stems from a long history of butts being tossed at will around Osborne Village, a riverfront area known for its vibrant nightlife, shopping and arts community. More than 10,000 butts were picked up in one day last summer by volunteers during a litter pick-up.

"People don't understand that cigarette butts do not biodegrade," Tom Ethans of Take Pride Winnipeg told the CBC. "They end up in our sewer systems, in our rivers and in our lakes."