Three new cigarette bins have been installed close to the site of Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre to encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette ends responsibly.
There have been ongoing litter issues in the subway at the hospital site and, despite daily cleaning by Nottingham City Council’s Cleaning Teams in the area, local residents have raised some concerns about the continuous problem.
Dave Halstead, Head of Neighbourhood Operations at Nottingham City Council, said: “Unfortunately some smokers around the hospital site have continued to act irresponsibly and dropped their cigarette ends on the ground which is a blight on the area.
“Our Neighbourhood Operations Team in the area has worked with the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust who have kindly agreed to fund the bins. Cigarette ends are still litter and we hope the new bins will hopefully provide that extra encouragement for smokers to stub it out and bin it.”
Local Community Protection Officers will continue to work in the area to provide ongoing education and will warn smokers that they face a fine of £75 if they drop litter.
Nicky Hill, Director of HR at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We continue our work to improve the external environment for our patients, visitors, neighbours and staff.
“We have a strict no smoking policy at our hospitals and aim to offer a smoke free environment for everyone. We have made great strides in the last year through our work with patients to discourage people from smoking on site, mindful of the impact this has on others. We still have some way to go and are working on the next phase of our campaign. I hope these new bins will provide smokers with a further opportunity to dispose of their cigarettes properly to prevent litter accumulating outside our hospitals, making the environment as pleasant as possible for everyone.”