TORONTO (July 15, 2014) – Toronto mayoral candidates are being surveyed on their attitudes toward litter and littering.

Litter Prevention Program, of Toronto, circulated its 8-question survey to the five leading hopefuls at an all-candidates debate in Scarborough on Tuesday night. 

All candidates for Mayor of Toronto and the public can view and answer the questionnaire at www.litterpreventionprogram.com.

Sheila White, survey designer and a recognized champion of litter awareness, says her group’s aim is “to keep a conversation about littering near the top of the pile.”

“Lasting solutions to littering require leadership. We need to know where the new mayor will stand,” said White, a global litter researcher and publisher of the Sunday online magazine, This Week In “Litterland”.

Questions seek political opinion on issues such as litter campaigns, legislative changes, enforcement and industry-funded recycling.  Candidates are also asked to disclose whether they have ever littered either accidentally or on purpose, modeled after a government promotion that’s currently underway across Australia right now.

Responses will be published prior to the Oct. 27 election, White said.

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Media contact:   Sheila White, 416-321-0633

TORONTO (May 14, 2014) - This election the oft-ignored and unlawful societal wart called ‘littering’ is the subject of a first-ever provincial election survey of Ontario’s four political party leaders.

Litter Prevention Program, of Toronto, sent out its 10-question survey today to Kathleen Wynne (LIB), Tim Hudak (PC), Andrea Horwath (NDP) and Mike Schreiner (GRN).

The survey for leaders and political candidates is viewable online at www.litterpreventionprogram.com.  A special, independent link was created for members of the general public.  They can fill out their answers and, later, compare them with the opinions of the leaders.

Sheila White, survey designer and president of WORDS Media & Communications Inc, founded and champions a litter awareness program whose aim is to lower the overall rate of littering.

“Lasting solutions to littering require leadership. Our survey is a test of true leadership,” said White, a global litter researcher.

Questions seek political opinion on such issues as litter taxes on cigarettes and chewing gum, legislative changes, enforcement and industry-funded recycling.

The leaders have until June 4 to respond.  Results will be published in White’s weekly, This Week In “Litterland”, on June 8, 2014 and reported in her group’s second annual progress report in November.

Election Day is June 12.

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For more information, phone Sheila White (416) 321-0633.

QUEEN’S PARK (November 22, 2013) -- A report on litter in Ontario says some businesses and industry sectors are engaged in solving the problem while many continue to still sidestep responsibility for their litter.

“Litter Control In Ontario: No Time To Waste” report author Sheila White gives

Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association (CBCRA) a nod for its “Recycle Everywhere” program, in full swing in Manitoba and making a significant difference in the rate of littering there. 

CBCRA’s proposal is currently awaiting approval from Waste Diversion Ontario to launch in Ontario.  CBCRA Chair John Challinor joined White at a press conference to showcase the industry’s plan.

“The beverage industry is one of several sectors stepping forward to address its product litter,” said White, founder of the Litter Prevention Program in Toronto.

“Approval of CBCRA’s proposal would be a major stride forward for reducing litter in Ontario.  We urge the province to embrace it and put it on a fast track.”

White also noted that the tobacco industry is another sector that’s moving forward on litter reduction strategies for Canada.

“Two of the three major tobacco companies have met with us and have pledged to support litter prevention,” White said.

The litterpreventionprogram.com First Annual Progress Report hones in on seven litter types – tobacco, gum, plastic, polystyrene, fast food, coffee cups and beverage containers.  It suggests 11 practical steps Ontario could put in motion to help reduce littering. 

These ideas include enforcing laws that already exist, putting litter prevention messages on driver renewal forms, covering litter as a topic in citizenship courses and helping municipalities with funding for their litter prevention initiatives.

NEW MID-WEEK OCCASIONAL ON LITTER LAUNCHED DURING WASTE REDUCTION WEEK

(Toronto) Sheila White, editor and publisher of litterpreventionprogram.com and This Week In “Litterland”, today launched an occasional extra newsletter on litter.

The first issue of Mid-Week In “Litterland” marks Waste Reduction Week, October 21 to 27, in Canada.  Across the country programs focus on recycling, reducing and reuse of waste. White wants to make sure there’s an eye on littering as well this week. Canadians produce the most garbage of any country in the world and about four in ten of them litter.

“Some people may devalue the importance of dealing with litter, even at the highest levels sometimes,” White said. “However, we know that litter has links to lower quality of life, environmental hazards, increased crime, property devaluation, negative impacts on tourism not to mention a city’s budget and use of precious tax dollars.”

“We have to keep litter in the limelight.”

Among its international news tidbits, the inaugural, October 23 issue of Mid-Week highlights the kind of difference media and celebrities can make to the litter prevention cause.  It also promotes a significant yet little-known contest in search of Canada’s Next Green Journalist for youth 11- 21.

White is a Toronto-based communications consultant and public speaker and one of the world’s foremost researchers on the subject of littering.

Now and then she can be heard on CBC “Here And Now” commentating on municipal affairs.

Twitter:  @white_sheila

DEAL WITH BUTT LITTER ALONG WITH SMOKING BANS

(TORONTO) – Tidiness advocate Sheila White is asking the city’s board of health to consider a policy for dealing with tobacco litter before banning smoking in more public places.

A litter researcher, White says bans push toxic cigarette butt litter problems further into neighbourhoods, streets and parking lots.

“Cigarette butts are the most prolific type of litter. They are hazardous waste, can be recycled and ought to be contained. Anywhere effective bans on smoking have been implemented there has been a companion strategy for dealing with the increase in butt litter,” said White, a communications consultant and founder of the Litter Prevention Program.

Convincing smokers that flicking a cigarette filter is littering is a challenge, but that hasn’t stopped other cities around the world from tackling it, White said.

Manitoba banned smoking on its beaches earlier this year. Enforcement officers will spend a year first educating park users about the issues and warning smokers about the upcoming regimen of fines beginning in 2015.

Smoking bans at hospitals and university campuses in the United States and elsewhere are accompanied by ashtray installations, pocket ashtray distributions, nicotine replacement therapy, signage, education and enforcement of fines.

Chicago is poised to bring a bylaw into force that targets cigarette litter with strictly enforceable set fines and new “permissive towing” powers for city police. New York State Senate has two motions awaiting debate calling on the state health department to explore a deposit-return system for cigarette butts as a litter prevention measure.

And in Paris, last November, eco-friendly mayor Bertrand Delanoë announced a program to install 10,000 street ashtrays and fines for littering cigarette butts, a problem which officials said “exploded” after that city’s ban on smoking in bars and outdoor cafés in 2007.

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                                                   Media contact:   Sheila White,  416-321-0633 

INCLUDE LITTER IN ONTARIO'S NEW WASTE REDUCTION ACT, ADVOCATE SAYS

TORONTO  (September 1, 2013) It would be a mistake to omit litter from the proposed legislation that will govern how Ontario reduces its waste, says an advocate and expert on littering behaviours.

Sheila White, of the Litter Prevention Program in Toronto, is lobbying the Ministry of Environment to remove wording in the draft Waste Reduction Act that allows producers to sidestep responsibility for their product litter.

“I’m asking for the deletion of three little words used to describe waste governed by Bill 91 as proposed. Those three words are ‘end of life’ waste.”

White explains how Ontario’s stewardship agency for waste producers defines “end of life” as waste products that end up in a bin.  This loophole enables both the provincial government and industry stewards to not deal with waste materials that people litter instead of binning, she says.

“The new Waste Reduction Act offers a fresh opportunity to include litter in Ontario’s overall waste management strategy.  Ontario lags far behind in its policies and thinking around littering,” said White, who publishes a global newsletter on the subject and a commercial-free website, litterpreventionprogram.com.

White and her partner, Alex King, formally asked Ontario’s environment ministry to review littering last November using the Environmental Bill of Rights and were turned down in early 2013.  The province hasn’t studied littering since 1977.

September 4 is the deadline for the public to comment on Bill 91.  Link here to comment.

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For more information, contact:

Sheila White  (416) 321-0633; mobile (416) 605-0709