Butts for Cash Campaign Hit With Scandal
An innovative campaign to reduce the number of cigarette butts littering the streets of Xianyang, China, has been hit with a scandal.
Back in September, Chinese authorities in Xianyang started paying local citizens .05 yuan (or $0.0075) for every cigarette butt they picked up from the streets. It all started as an attempt to propel the city toward a first place position in the National Health City competition. Since then over seven million butts have been collected, and over 100,000 yuan (or $15,000) has been paid out.
Everything was fine and dandy until it was discovered that some participants were cheating. Instead of diligently patrolling the streets for butts, these lazy bums have been emptying garbage bins and ash trays, and then delivering these butts to city officials for the reward money. Granted, it’s clever—but it’s also terribly wrong.
And it’s also pretty sad, especially considering how much effort non-cheating participants have been putting in toward the campaign. Take for instance Wang Guifu, a 64-year-old who according to China Daily/Asia News Network has already collected 2,200 butts directly from the streets.
Regardless of the scandal, the campaign does seem to be having a positive overall effect. Cigarette-smoker Zhao Ang told AFP reporters, “From now on, I stopped throwing anything away in public places.” He was inspired after watching an old man pick up a cigarette butt that he had just discarded.
Indeed. I too am inspired. Though I live thousands of miles away, I promise that from now on, I won’t toss cigarette butts onto the streets. I’ll just put out the cherry, pocket it, and dispose of it properly later on in the day!
By V Saxena on 11-11-2010
V Saxena
