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To draw public attention to the issue of cigarette butt pollution and its harm to the environment and human health, as well as to promote a change in public habits regarding the disposal of cigarette butts in inappropriate places, environmental objects and cigarette butt bins have been installed at three entrances to Vecāķi Beach this summer.

The environmental objects were installed by LTD "Zaļā josta" in collaboration with the Riga City Council as part of the European Union LIFE program project LIFE Waste To Resources IP. The aim is to once again highlight during the beach season that cigarette butts are one of the most significant sources of environmental pollution globally. Environmentally friendly disposal involves using designated ashtrays installed in smoking areas.

The environmental object is deliberately provocative, as the creators believe it will encourage broader public discussion about this pressing issue. The installation is a two-meter, 30-centimeter-long cigarette butt, symbolically extinguished in the beach sand. It draws attention to the cigarette butt pollution in the beach area caused by improper behavior of beachgoers.

The object’s creators want to emphasize to beach visitors that cigarette butts are out of place in this environment. Additionally, the nearby cigarette butt bins indicate that, on average, 120 cigarette butts are found every 100 meters of Latvian beaches and note that cigarette butts are not made of paper but are composed of plastic (cellulose acetate).

With the creation and installation of this attention-grabbing object, LTD “Zaļā josta” aims to generate interest among the visitors of Vecāķi Beach and encourage them to change their habits by disposing of cigarette butts in the designated urns, thus reducing butt pollution along the coast.

The goal of this pilot project is to improve the situation and reduce cigarette butt pollution at Vecāķi Beach, as well as to find the most effective solutions that motivate people to dispose of cigarette butts in household waste containers. The project involves studying consumer behavior and modeling behavior change by creating preventive infrastructure and conducting a comprehensive public outreach, educational, and informational campaign.