Keep Tyler Beautiful is the recipient of a 2017 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grant in the amount of $5,000 to combat cigarette litter in Tyler.

“Cigarette litter is detrimental to our environment,” says Keep Tyler Beautiful Community Coordinator Angela Cardoza. “We hope to bring more awareness to this issue through education for the public. We are also giving out pocket ashtrays and cup-holder ashtrays for an easy alternative to throwing cigarette butts on the ground.”

Keep Tyler Beautiful will use this grant to improve the Tyler community by installing 26 cigarette waste receptacles throughout the town, focusing heavily on the Downtown area and areas where foot traffic is predominant. Research by Keep America Beautiful has shown that for each cigarette waste receptacle installed, cigarette litter is reduced by nine percent.

Keep America Beautiful is sponsoring a total of $297,500 through the 2017 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. Communities that implemented the this program in 2016 saw an average of 60 percent reduction in cigarette litter.

More From 101.5 KNUE