The pocket ashtray: a potential solution to the cigarette butt problem
As much as 41% of the pieces of litter lying around in Flanders are cigarette butts. The biggest problem with these cigarette butts is that you find them everywhere: on the streets, in nature, at events, at train stations, along motorways... and eventually in the sea. There is probably nothing more we need to tell you about the harm to nature. This is common knowledge.
Given that this issue is so big, Mooimakers is providing a range of ways to ensure that cigarette butts no longer end up on the ground. Such as advising to equip trash cans with a cigarette butt receptacle or deploying cigarette butt tiles, to providing all kinds of awareness-raising materials to make smokers aware of the issue. Now, we can add encouraging the use of pocket ashtrays to that.
In spring 2020, Mooimakers organised a survey on the effectiveness of pocket ashtrays in collaboration with the research agency Ipsos. The results of the study indicated that there is a great deal of potential in that little handy pocket ashtray.
Research conclusions
The study indicated that a pocket ashtray is a good and relevant alternative when no other receptacle is nearby. After all, 2 in 3 smokers find themselves at least once a week in a situation where they cannot dispose of their cigarette in an ashtray or rubbish bin. Nonetheless, smokers generally try to dispose of their cigarette correctly: 4 out of 5 cigarette butts would correctly end up in the ashtray or rubbish bin. Unfortunately, 41% of smokers also admit to throwing the cigarette butt on the ground when there is no ashtray or rubbish bin nearby.
About half of smokers are familiar with the concept of pocket ashtrays. They mainly know the pocket ashtray through the media. Actions at events are effective with 18-54-year-olds; smokers aged 55+ are reached more through sales channels. They also purchase the pocket ashtrays more frequently.
Among smokers, there is generally support for the concept. This is especially among women and the elderly. Among young people, more effort will need to be made to convince them. Ecological considerations are often at the root of support. The only resistance that there may be among smokers is due to low familiarity with the concept and the notion that pocket ashtrays are clumsy.
In the past year, 3 in 10 smokers have used a pocket ashtray. However, there is still much potential among non-users. The majority of non-users do not yet know about the concept, but more than half of non-users are open to it. The barriers among smokers who know about the pocket ashtray but do not use it is primarily that they do not know where to obtain one.
Users of pocket ashtrays are very satisfied with them. This is mainly due to the user-friendliness, the ease of storing the cigarette butts, the ease of closure and how long one can use such a bag. Critical comments are heard mainly about the odour nuisance, maintenance and the number of cigarette butts you can store in them.
Pocket ashtrays with a sliding system and with the push button are most commonly used. Users mainly received the bag ashtrays (71%), so it is possible that these versions are the most distributed.
Getting started with the research findings
The research found that only half of smokers were aware of the existence of such a thing as a pocket ashtray. So the concept is not yet familiar to a large group of smokers, and even if they have heard of it, they are not really familiar with it. So, in other words, they do not know the benefits either. It is therefore important to raise awareness of this solution to the cigarette butt problem and to capitalise upon the benefits of such a pocket ashtray. It fits in your pocket, you can put your cigarette butt in it at any time and, of course, you avoid having to throw your cigarette butt on the ground. In other words, you are saving nature from that polluting cigarette butt.
The research also indicated that the smokers who do use them are convinced of their usefulness. So it is definitely worth giving some publicity to this.
To increase the familiarity of the pocket ashtray, you can hand them out or offer them for sale at events. After all, events are the ideal way to reach young people with such a pocket ashtray. For other target groups, it is important for pocket ashtrays to have a greater presence in sales channels. After all, smokers need to find their way to the pocket ashtray and this is not the case now.
Mooimakers Campaign
A pilot project was launched in early 2021 in collaboration with Unizo to distribute pocket ashtrays through newspaper dealers. The research results fluctuated among the different participating newspaper retailers. The degree of promotion that the newspaper dealers themselves conducted or did not conduct was a measure of whether or not sales were successful. A large-scale communication campaign was lacking to better promote the product.
Looking for a pocket ashtray?
Would you like to buy a pocket ashtray? You will find a list of potential outlets and suppliers here. This list is not exhaustive, but includes the names of outlets and suppliers who have participated in the pocket ashtray pilot project or have notified us of their services in the past. Mooimakers takes no position towards these suppliers, nor does it make any recommendations as to quality or suchlike.