Fans attending the Torquay United Football Club match at Plainmoor in Torquay, Devon, this Saturday 28 March 2026 can pick up free portable cigarette bins to help keep the town’s streets clean. The club is handing out the bins at the stadium entrance before the 3:00pm kick-off against Horsham to encourage supporters to dispose of their litter responsibly.
The giveaway is part of the “Cigarette Butts are Rubbish” campaign, a partnership between the football club, Keep Britain Tidy, and Torbay Council. These Butt Boxes are small, fire-proof, and reusable ashtrays that can hold up to seven cigarette ends before they need to be emptied into a regular bin.
The campaign was first launched at the stadium on 14 March 2026 when the club mascot, Gilbert, held a pitch-side protest to highlight that cigarette ends are the most common form of litter in the UK. Research from Keep Britain Tidy shows that as many as 5,000 cigarette butts are dropped down a single street drain every year across the country.
Cllr David Thomas, Leader of Torbay Council, said the project helps the local “Operation Brighter Bay” initiative, which aims to keep the area safe and attractive for residents. Cleaning up cigarette litter is a major expense for local authorities, costing councils across Britain an estimated £40 million each year.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
