Ashtrays to snub street stubs
2006-01-19 21:25
Madrid - The northern Spanish city of Bilbao is to distribute 20 000 plastic pocket ashtrays to encourage people not to drop cigarette stubs in the streets following the introduction earlier this month of a law banning smoking in the workplace, officials said on Wednesday.
Since the ban came into force on January 1 stubs have piled up on pavements as workers have a quick smoking break outside as the office is now out of bounds for such activity.
To combat the problem, the ashtrays will be handed out free at metro stations and in parts of town "where the most mess has been identified," said a town hall spokesperson.
A further 1 000 normal ashtrays will be installed near public dustbins.
On January 4, the mayor of the central northern city of Zaragoza called on smokers to take an ashtray with them if they went for a cigarette outside to avoid dropping their stubs.