HomeMy Public PortalAboutCOTI_PR20190812_NotAnAshtray.docxPRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Shawn Gillen
For Immediate Release City Manager
(912) 472-5070
sgillen@cityoftybee.org
Cigarette Litter Prevention for Tybee Island
Tybee Island, Ga. – (August 12, 2019) Tybee Island will join with other coastal communities for a second year to promote cigarette litter prevention - GEORGIA’S COAST IS NOT AN ASHTRAY.
Throughout the month of August Tybee Island bars and restaurants will use GEORGIA’S COAST IS NOT AN ASHTRAY branded drink coasters to reach a targeted population with educational information
discouraging the littering of cigarette butts. Additional standing ashcans will be placed near bars and restaurants for proper disposal of cigarette butts.
Made of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, cigarette butts do not easily biodegrade and are the nation’s number one most littered item. “Partnering with local restaurants and bars
allows us to reach a designated audience with important cigarette litter messaging,” said Shawn Gillen, Tybee Islands City Manager. “This is a true community outreach effort with coastal
establishments joining forces by using 25,000 messaged drink coasters to educate locals and visitors about cigarette litter.”
A joint educational and outreach program with Keep Liberty Beautiful, Keep Savannah Beautiful, Keep McIntosh Beautiful, Keep Camden Beautiful, Tybee Clean Beach Volunteers, the City
of Tybee Island, Ft. McCallaster State Park, Crooked River State Park, University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, GEORGIA’S COAST
IS NOT AN ASHTRAY is funded via a $10,000 Keep America Beautiful cigarette litter prevention program grant.
Come out to the restaurants and bars on Tybee throughout August to show your solidarity with the important message “GEORGIA’S COAST IS NOT AN ASHTRAY – properly dispose of cigarette
butts. Keep our beaches and waterways healthy.”
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About Tybee Island, GA.: The City of Tybee Island, Georgia is on the outermost barrier island off the Savannah area coast. With a wild bird sanctuary, over three miles of ocean beaches,
and salt marshes on the back river, outdoor recreation activities abound for visitors to the island. As a key defense point to the important Savannah port, Tybee’s Fort Screven, Tybee
Post Theater, Fort Pulaski, and the Tybee Island and Cockspur Lighthouses combine with the unique architectures of the island’s raised cottages to form a rich backdrop for history buffs.
Attracting a strong artistic community, there are several local supporting art galleries. Keeping the island interesting year round are several arts festivals, the Annual Pirate Fest,
the Beach Bum Parade, St Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Beach Bash, and the Christmas Parade, as well as fireworks displays on Independence and New Year’s Days off the Walter W. Parker
Pier and Pavilion. The Marine Science Center cooperates with Georgia’s DNR to protect threatened sea turtle species by searching for nests, protecting their eggs, and making sure hatchlings
make it to the sea. For visitor information, stop by http://www.tybeevisit.com/, and to find more about the City of Tybee Island, visit our web site at http://www.cityoftybee.org/.
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