The University Record, September 30, 1998
Building Services launches ‘No Butts Bins’ pilot project
From Building Services
Building Services personnel have been on the move across campus the past few months to solve an all-too-familiar problem around many building entrances–mounds of cigarette butts littering the area, even those that have the sand-filled disposal containers.
Their mission: To get smokers to use new “No Butts Bins” that are being installed across campus.
“These bins will help eliminate the unsightly conditions currently seen near doorways, in parking structure elevator lobbies, stairwells and flower beds, to name a few,” says Nathan Norman, director of Plant Building Services.
“Cigarette butts are dropped on the ground around many building entrances. They are eyesores, very noticeable to visitors, faculty, students and staff. They must be picked up daily, and the cost we face today will be back again tomorrow.”
The idea has been received with “great interest and enthusiasm” by participants in focus groups, say Norman and Doug Fasing, director of Grounds and Waste Management, who facilitated the discussions. As a result, a pilot program began Aug. 15 at the School of Dentistry, Wolverine Tower and the Administrative Services Building.
“We organized focus groups within these buildings, allowing those who smoke to give their input about the changes needed to clean up the unsightly areas around their building,” Norman explains. “The focus groups also helped identify the most suitable areas for installation of the ‘No Butts Bins.'”
The bins are used by the Kellogg Convention Center in Lansing and have been instrumental in keeping the surrounding areas butt-free, Norman says. “We hope they will be just as instrumental in helping our campus become a butt-free campus.”
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