A lit cigarette with ash at the tip, resting on a surface, with smoke rising from it.

Cigarette Litter Prevention Program

Cigarettes are the #1 littered items across America – 65% of all cigarette butts are littered instead of disposed of properly.

An effective local Cigarette Litter Prevention Program includes four proven strategies:

  • Distribute pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers.

  • Review local litter laws, including cigarette butt litter, and support enforcement.

  • Raise awareness using messaging and marketing campaigns.

  • Place ash receptacles at transition points like beaches, hospitals, or public parks.

Keep America Beautiful's 2026 National Litter Study, cigarette butt litter fell by approximately 62% since 2020 — a decline that outpaced the drop in smoking rates over the same period. Despite that progress, cigarette butts remain the single most commonly littered item in the country, with an estimated 3.8 billion cigarette butts present across the nation's roadways, waterways, and coastal areas at any given time.

According to…

A pile of discarded cigarette butts on the ground.

This mirrors what Keep Mississippi Beautiful has seen firsthand: after installing cigarette receptacles at Mississippi welcome centers through KAB's Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, one location saw cigarette butt litter drop by about 60% — proof that access to a receptacle is one of the strongest predictors of whether a butt gets littered at all.

With the help of Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, we are working with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to reduce cigarette butt litter at four welcome centers.

Supporting Facts

Overall litter along U.S. roadways and waterways is down 34% since 2020 (152 → 96 pieces per person)

  • Roadway litter fell 22%; surface waterway litter fell 45%

  • 35 billion pieces of litter still remain nationwide

  • Only 31% of Americans recall seeing litter-prevention messaging — highlighting the need for continued education