THE Only Butt campaign is a finalist in the prestigious Community Banksia Awards coming up on 24 March.
The campaign – devised by 2020 Victorian Local Hero and Australian of the Year Josie Jones – aims to inspire people to put their butts in the bin, as well as engaging in healthier lifestyle choices, and body confidence across all genders.
People are encouraged to post and tag photos of their own butts, or even the butts of animals and fish, as the only type of butts that should be at the beach.
The campaign draws attention to concerns that eight billion cigarette butts are dropped on beaches in Australia every year. The campaign combines cheekiness with education and positive reinforcement of good behaviours. It aligns with various categories of sustainability.
“Through a little cheekiness and some whole-hearted education, we inspire littering smokers to put their butts in the bin,” Ms Jones said.
“We passed through fires, COVID-19 and summer, and so now seems a great time to speak out about littering of butts.”
Rye CFA First Lieutenant Paul Baiguerra said: “Fires from the careless disposal of cigarette butts are completely avoidable. We were thrilled that Josie has come up with a way to help get this important message out.”
Ms Jones said: “I’ve been working hard through COVID to keep our beaches butt-free and I’m now working with the CFA to send a message to the broader community.
“Rye CA missed out on doing their tin rattle over Christmas and I know how much the community values its volunteers. I thought this would be a nice way of starting a conversation around a serious problem that can only be solved through collaborative support.”
Ms Jones’ Share The Word Design Studio worked on the campaign with support from Woolworths, Lions International, Rye Community Action Group and Bendigo Bank.
No response
RYE CFA is unlikely to receive any money from Mornington Peninsula Shire for the donations it missed out on receiving after being told it could not conduct its annual January tin rattle.
The shire has since admitted that the officer who mailed the bad news to the CFA it did not have the power to stop the tin rattle (“Shire backs down on tin rattle ban” The News 1/2/21). The CFA says the collection at the corner of Nepean Highway and Dundas Street unusually raises about $10,000.
However, Cr David Gill has now twice failed to convince his council colleagues to make up the CFA’s shortfall.
Cr Gill’s motion to pay the CFA lapsed at the Tuesday 23 February council meeting for lack of a seconder.
Chief financial officer Bulent Oz recommended that any “unbudgeted funding requests [be] part of [the] budget process and mid-year review”.
Steve Taylor with Keith Platt
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 2 March 2021
