General News
12 September, 2025
Tomato or barbecue? Vote with your butt
A GROUP of young environmentalists is tackling the issue of cigarette butt litter while settling a burning question.
A ballot-style cigarette butt bin has been installed near the Warrnambool boat ramp.
It poses the question: which sauce is better - tomato or barbecue?
The project is an initiative of Green Futures Now, a Warrnambool City Council youth leadership program that sees participants learn about local environmental issues while developing their own projects to help address them.
Group member Amelia Quinn said the idea to target cigarette butts came after the group learned how big of an environmental issue they continue to pose, despite national smoking rates falling.
“We were here on a beach clean-up for the Youth Environment Summit and we realised the sheer amount of cigarettes that were around the boardwalk,” she said.
“They cause a lot of problems when they get into the ocean because they can take a really long time, up to 10 years, for one cigarette butt to decompose.
“We decided we wanted to do something about it.”
The box was initially installed on Warrnambool’s foreshore in 2019, but the harsh coastal environment meant it eventually needed to be removed for maintenance.
The group learned of its existence and committed to getting it cleaned up and ready for use again.
“Council had a ballot-bin that had gotten a bit old and was in storage and we thought we could give it a new paint job and a new question; which sauce would you prefer, barbecue or tomato?,” group member Edward Higgins said.
“The whole point of this is to make putting your cigarette butts in the rubbish more engaging.
“People can pick up cigarette butts on the ground, even if they’re not necessarily smokers, and contribute to the voting.
“A few of us Green Futures members picked up some cigarette butts to have our own vote and so far tomato sauce is the most preferred.”
Green Futures Now is open to people aged 12-25 with a passion for the environment and sustainability.
While the 2025 program is approaching its completion, anyone interested in joining in 2026 can contact the Warrnambool City Council Youth Team on youthservices@warrnambool.vic.gov.au to stay up-to-date on when registrations open.
