The Great Lethbridge Buttpick campaign has been launched for July 2025. (Photo: Helen Schuler Nature Centre)

By David Opinko

Help clean up the city at the Great Lethbridge Buttpick

Jul 9, 2025 | 11:13 AM

It’s not what you think.

The Helen Schuler Nature Centre has launched its humourously-named campaign, The Great Lethbridge Buttpick.

Throughout July, residents are encouraged to help clean up cigarette butts.

Chelsea Sherbut, Resource Development Coordinator, says, even if you do not smoke or litter, cigarette butts are everyone’s problem.

“They end up in our waterways, parks and sidewalks. That’s why this initiative matters. It’s about all of us taking responsibility for the spaces we share,” says Sherbut.

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The Nature Centre says discarded cigarettes are consistently one of the most common items collected in clean-ups around the country.

In 2024, 35 per cent of the items that were cleaned up in the Lethbridge River Valley were butts.

Sherbut explains that this is a problem because cigarette filters contain cellulose acetate, a plastic that does not break down under normal environmental conditions.

“Studies have also shown other compounds in cigarette butts (including nicotine, pesticide residues and hydrocarbons) can seep into soil and aquatic ecosystems. The well-known fire danger of improperly extinguished cigarettes is also a concern.”

Until July 31, collected cigarette butts can be deposited into marked bins at any of Lethbridge’s three yard Waste and Recycling Depots.

Those who bring in cigarette butts will receive a secret code word to earn their Buttsbane badge for the Verdant Quest challenge. Prizes are available for those who complete a series of tasks.

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