Here’s How You Can Vote and Keep Cigarette Butts Off the Ground
One American city has come up with a rather unusual way of keeping cigarette butts off the streets.
Boston has launched a new initiative called Neat Streets, as part of an effort to keep the city clean by making sure people properly dispose of their cigarettes.
One facet of the initiative is the cigarette butt receptacle, which prompts smokers to dispose their cigarette in a slot on a board by voting for the question being posed at the top of the board. For example, "More essential Boston winter gear? Hats or boots?'"
Yup, it's that simple: rectangular boxes that are a cross between mailboxes and ballot boxes will be positioned around areas of the city where people are prone to walk.
You can see one of the boxes below, which asks, "Which superpower would you want? Flight? Invisibility?"
Boston is actually mimicking an idea that developed in London. Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh thinks it's a winner, saying, "Boston is a beautiful city, but to keep it that way we must all do our part to keep our streets clean. This smart and innovative effort incorporates a public polling process to engage our residents and visitors in protecting our environment."
The boxes should start popping up toward the end of this month and people can propose their own questions on Twitter by reaching out to @CityofBoston on Twitter, using hashtags #NeatStreets or #NeatStreetsBos.