Mooimakers starts national litter campaign in Ostend

Cycling on a real butt cargo bike, walking on the sea dike and occasionally on the beach: Mooimakers will take action against litter in various ways.

Every year, 4,500 billion cigarette butts end up in the environment. That small litter causes a major environmental problem. 83% of Flemish people are annoyed by cigarette butts in the streets, according to a survey by Mooimakers. In addition to raising awareness, OVAM is also focusing on litter enforcement this summer. The anonymous litter enforcers have the authority to determine violations when they catch someone throwing a butt, a can or other waste on the street.

Wrong disposal and multiple solutions

There is no single solution to the problem, but the cities and Mooimakers are already making the necessary efforts. The solutions are multiple: on the one hand fines can be issued, on the other hand there is a need for more dump sites for butts. The consequences of not properly disposing of butts are alarming, as the World Health Organization also notes: the minuscule microplastics from the filter of cigarettes end up in animal stomachs and birds’ nests.

Mooimakers travels along the Belgian coast with a ‘butt carrier bicycle’. With the cargo bike, people can lose their butt and they are offered a bag of ashtray. The starting shot was already given in Ostend.