BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
CIGARETTE butts thrown around the corners of the streets of Honiara may look insignificant but they are a major concern to those who want to protect the environment.
“Cigarette butts may be small, but they are a huge eye-sore and problem in the Honiara,” 53-year-old Jay Pelamana from Isabel province said.
“Every time you go for a walk in the Honiara town whether in Public Park, offices, or down the beaches, walkways, night clubs and market places,” Pelamana, who sees himself as an environmental conservationist, said.
“The litter that you are most likely to see more than anything else is cigarette butts.”
Pelamana believes that littered cigarette butts come from the increasing number of active smokers in the country.
“Smokers often drop the cigarette butts on the ground. Areas in Honiara where huge number of butts are littered look dirty and more unattractive.
“Littering has generally become acceptable in our society today,” he told Environment Media.
Pelamana urged smokers in Honiara to take their cigarette butts seriously and refrain from leaving them on Honiara’s public areas and places.
Pelamana quit smoking in 2000.
He said the message needs to be conveyed loud and clear in order to change people’s behaviour.
“It is time to create massive public awareness.
“Individuals should all be conscious of the impact of littering, and individually all do our bit for our environment.
“Responsible authorities from Honiara City Council and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services should stretch their hands towards a combined approach to solve the issue.
“They should work together in providing a general awareness of quitting cigarette smoking and thereby stoppage of littering cigarette butts in the oral health education and oral health promotion programmes,” he said.
Pelamana said the increasing smoking population in Honiara is alarming as more and more young people including first generation smokers (old) have now heavily engaged in the life style and need more effective approach from stakeholders to quickly address the issue.
“Smokers should also consider how and where to dispose their butts when smoking whether in workplaces, schools, public areas, parks, and nightclubs to curb the increasing problem of butts littering in Honiara.”