Butt Littering Trust

The Butt Littering Trust is an Australian group funded mainly by the world's second largest cigarette company, British American Tobacco, has been funding education campaigns to clean up cigarette butts in partnership with some local councils, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald. 

"The trust maintains it is independent of BAT Australia, its main sponsor, even though Valerie Ritchie, head of public relations at BAT Australia, sits on its board of trustees.

"North Sydney Council started an anti-littering campaign partly funded by BAT Australia via the trust yesterday. People wearing costumes representing marine animals threatened by cigarette butt pollution approached smokers in the street. They were asked to fill in questionnaires and given portable ashtrays," according to the Herald.

The chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health Australia, Anne Jones, said North Sydney and other councils had been advised by letter of the Butt Littering Trust's connections to BAT Australia.

"Tobacco companies want to be seen to be involved in stopping the littering. .. They can say 'Look, we are doing something about it' when they're actually the source of the problem."

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 * Tobacco industry