Three years after the arrival of ALCOME, what is the outcome for La Ferté-sous-Jouarre? Remember… In 2021, the municipality formalized its entry into the program Pilot Cities of the eco-organism ALCOMEspecialized in cleaning up discarded cigarette butts on public roads and raising awareness among smokers about responsible actions. Three years later, the figures are clear. In town, we observe a 50% reduction in cigarette butts thrown away on the ground. Daily work, a real feat praised by ALCOME.
The success of the ALCOME program, the effort of an entire city. In November 2021, the town of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre was one of the first to contract with the ALCOME eco-organization. « ALCOME is an eco-organization which has been mandated by the public authorities to fight against the throwing of cigarette butts in public spaces. The public authorities collect a tax from professionals in the tobacco industry… This money is donated to ALCOME (among others) with the aim of fighting this scourge. A cigarette butt can cause pollution. » This agreement allows the community to reach a grant of 10,000 eurosevery year. Financial assistance to properly equip the city. “ We were a 'pilot city' and then, nour status has evolved given the excellent results of the city. For a year now, we are 'common showcase' alongside Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Megève and Banyuls-sur-Mer. » An agreement which also provides regular exchanges between ALCOME and the city. Today, almost 1,000 communities are supported by the eco-organization. “ We have noticed in three years that there is around 50% fewer cigarette butts in public space. Our cleanliness department takes measurements every two weeks. This is what appears in the specifications with ALCOME, we must be able to justify our results. Following our results, we see that we are a bit of a virtuous student at ALCOME. » Behind this 50% reduction are the city's services (communication, cleanliness) and the inhabitants. All the players are driving forces in this fight for zero cigarette butts!
La Ferté-sous-Jouarre exceeds all the expectations of the eco-organization. How can we explain it? Long before the arrival of the eco-organization on the territory, the La Ferté-sous-Jouarre teams were already very attentive to the cleanliness of the city. “ We already had a lot of street equipment before ALCOME, we already had a few street ashtrays but here we moved up a gear. In our capacity as a 'showcase community', each year we are entitled to an allocation of ten street ashtrays (an approximate value of 8,000 euros). We obtained this endowment. They are already installed where we identified real needs. » Six ashtrays were installed on the soft link which crosses the Jardin de l’Île, two others at the bandstand level (for pétanque players) and two others at bus stops the most busy (Le Petit Morin and Carrefour Sainte-Beuve, rue Gambetta). “ Besides that, we placed an additional order at our expense for fourteen ashtrays to equip the entire station center (whose work is ending). Fourteen additional, that means one for each bus stop and an ashtray for each access leading to the SNCF tracks. In total, we now have 77 street ashtrays in the citythat represents one street ashtray for 130 inhabitants. » Nationally, the average is set at one street ashtray per 1,000 inhabitants. On this aspect, La Ferté-sous-Jouarre has a big head start.
« It's not about stigmatizing smokers, it's about making this city cleaner. »
How can we do better? If the objectives are exceeded, the municipality of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre redouble his efforts. Every year, the hotspots change… “ We abandoned certain hotspots because we felt that the problem had been largely solved (almost zero cigarette butts spaces). We have deployed new hotspots such as the Espace des 2 Rivières (on which all major events are held) and the two bus stops (Petit Morin, Carrefour Sainte-Beuve). Permanently, we have five hotspots on which measurements are taken every fortnight. » A dynamic that pays off… During the last Festival des 2 Rivières, less than five cigarette butts were found on the ground. A feat! “ We start from the principle that If we do not provide an outlet for smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts properly, it is a battle that is lost in advance.. This is why we have so many street ashtrays and it's not over yet. There are several aspects to this fight, there is an awareness, prevention component but also repression. » Since its establishment, several people have been repressed. An anecdotal verbalization of 135 euros. As a reminder, a cigarette butt on the ground takes several years to deteriorate. The only good thing to do? Throw away your butt! « We communicate a lot, we install mobile ashtrays and distribute pocket ashtrays which are provided free of charge by ALCOME. We distributed thousands. » Soon, there will be some during the welcome of new arrivals or even at the mayor's greeting ceremony. From now on, the municipality is launching a new challenge: zero cigarette butts.
« We are quite proud of the result. I think that there is also an awareness among those administered. » Three years later, the partnership between the municipality and the eco-organization ALCOME is a success! A 50% reduction in abandoned cigarette butts has been observed in the city. The gesture to remember? Smokers: if you want to throw away your cigarette butt, head to a trash can or a street ashtray!
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