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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Litter is a problem that affects every community's
3health, safety, aesthetics, environment, and economy; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Over the last half century, the amount of litter
5in our communities and across our nation has decreased by 61%,
6thanks to national public awareness campaigns and cleanup
7programs; despite these steps forward, the nation's litter
8problem still persists; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Cleanup costs for litter are placed on business
10owners, property owners, and taxpayers; according to a study
11conducted by the American Chemical Society's Industrial &
12Engineering Chemistry Research Journal, litter cleanup costs
13our nation $11.5 billion a year; and
 
14    WHEREAS, According to the Illinois Department of
15Transportation, cleanup of litter has cost the State $9.1
16million over the past year; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Increased cigarette litter has become a vast
18problem for the people, wildlife, and environment of the State,
19and has worsened since the Smoke Free Illinois Act went into
20effect on January 1, 2008; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Approximately 10% of cigarette butts are properly
2disposed of in ash receptacles, resulting in 4.5 trillion
3cigarette butts being littered into the environment each year;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, Nearly all cigarette filters are composed of
6slowly-decomposing cellulose acetate and can linger in the
7environment for years; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Increased awareness by labeling cigarette butts
9as litter, a fire hazard, an environmental hazard, and an
10economic burden is an important step toward reducing cigarette
11litter in communities; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The control of litter and litter prevention is
13vitally important to the quality of life in Illinois; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Keep America Beautiful, Inc., a national
15nonprofit organization with a history of addressing litter for
16over 50 years by encouraging individual responsibility,
17community partnerships, and advocating volunteerism, is
18addressing the emerging cigarette butt litter problem; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois and many communities in the
20State have formed partnerships with Keep America Beautiful,
21including Carbondale, Centralia, Chicago, Evanston, Moline,

 

 

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1Peoria, Oak Park, Rock Island, Salem, Vermilion County, West
2Cook County, and Northern Illinois; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Keep America Beautiful has created a Cigarette
4Litter Prevention Program that has successfully reduced
5cigarette butt litter in communities by an average of 55%; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The Cigarette Litter Prevention Program has
7achieved its success by implementing cigarette litter
8awareness campaigns, encouraging the enforcement of litter
9laws, and distributing cigarette receptacles and pocket
10ashtrays; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL
12ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the citizens of
13Illinois to preserve the natural beauty of the State by
14implementing litter control programs in their communities; and
15be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That we urge the citizens of Illinois to pursue
17federal and private grants to implement community based litter
18control and prevention programs, like the Cigarette Litter
19Prevention Program sponsored by Keep America Beautiful; and be
20it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That we recognize Keep Illinois Beautiful for

 

 

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1their commitment to improving communities and environments in
2Illinois and across the nation; and be it further
 
3    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
4presented to Keep Illinois Beautiful.