Cigarette Disposal Units Around Town

The Little Compton Town Council discussed potential options to prevent and limit litter around town at Thursday night's meeting. This issue was initially brought up in the spring by residents Robert Marra and Sandy Farr representing the Sogkonate Garden Club.

"They contacted us about a month ago" said Town Council President Robert Mushen, regarding an email. "I actually missed our initial meeting, which pushed this back slightly, but we are attempting to keep this a prioritized issue and get something done relatively quickly. They are both individuals with a vested interested in this."

The item discussed was the potential to require certain businesses and other locations around town to have trash barrels and cigarette disposal units placed outside their establishments. This would extend to "basketball courts, baseball fields, tennis courts, Ponderosa, beaches and landings, Town Hall, the Little Compton Community Center, school, library, restaurants, coffee shops, liquor stores and post office," according to Marra's e-mail.

This potential program would place no additional burden on the town itself, as the responsibilities for emptying and collecting trash would fall upon said businesses.

Town councilors talked about how Little Compton has 55 gallon drums freely availible for any business that wants one, but acknowledged that a smaller size would likely be more convenient for most businesses. Other suggestions the town is looking into include investigating any grant opportunities with the endeavor, taking more action at the town transfer station and potentially developing a "Adopt-A-Road" program, similar to the state's Adopt-A-Highway program.

Little Compton is also looking to increase their utilization of community service workers towards roadside cleanup. This would be done through cooperation with both Portsmouth High School and the Little Compton chief of police.

One of the primary concerns is how to effectively balance clean-up efforts in town and along roads. According to Mushen, one of the letter's "main stated concerns was the amount of cigarette butts around town," a problem that would be considerably lessoned by having disposal units readily availible.

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One Air Alliance Helps Businesses In Springfield Prepare For Smoking Ban

Nearly all businesses and public spaces in Springfield will be smoke cigarettes free by June 11, and there's a lot of work to be done to clear the air.

Managers at Trolley's restaurant were training workers on Tuesday for a smoke cigarettes free environment.

"We have been just working with them on how to handle that situation," said Trolley's owner, Ryan McDonald. "When somebody does light up a cigarette, it's not to throw them out the door, it's to say, 'Hey we have gone none-smoking cigarettes.'"

One Air Alliance received a $70,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health. The money will go towards making a smoke-free city.

One Air Alliance ordered hundreds of no-smoking cigarettes stickers for businesses. All businesses will be required to have similar stickers at the front doors. One Air Alliance is also handing out smaller stickers that will go on company cars.

Businesses can order or pickup stickers. One Air Alliance will host seminars to prepare local businesses to go smoke cigarettes free.

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Possible Cigarette Tax Hikes In Store For Alabama

State representatives in Alabama and Maine are seeking cigarette tax hikes of $1 per pack and $1.50 per pack respectively, reported tobacco-news.net and Forbes.

Alabama State Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) proposed House Bill 457, which would raise the state's cigarette tax to $1.425 per pack. Todd stated that the tax funds would raise an estimated $230 million a year and primarily benefit Medicaid and the Children First Trust Fund, as well as encourage smokers to quit the habit. "It's a win-win," said Todd.

If the bill passes, Alabama's cigarette tax would be the 23rd highest in the country as of last July. However, Speaker Mike Hubbard cast doubt that the bill would go anywhere, since the House has a Republican majority and many Republicans ran on anti-tax platforms during the last election. "I don't see Republicans voting for a 10-cent tax on cigarettes," said Hubbard.

Todd agreed, adding that her goal is to explain the bill, receive feedback and bring it back next year. "Next year, we may get a little further," said Todd. "It's the right thing to do."

Meanwhile, in Maine, the Taxation Committee is reviewing a bill that would raise the state's cigarette tax by $1.50 to $3.50 per pack. If passed, the added revenue would help fund a cigarettes help line. According to The American Lung Association of Maine, when the state last raised its cigarette tax by $1, calls to the help line drastically increased.

Groups representing convenience stores, grocers and other tobacco-selling businesses expressed opposition to the bill, citing possible negative impact to businesses and the possibility that a tax increase would simply send smokers across the state line to New Hampshire to purchase their cigarettes.

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