Encams: what a bunch of tossers
Monday, April 7, 2008 The government banned smoking in all enclosed public places. Now, says Encams (which runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign), "Smoking related rubbish is now the UK’s biggest litter problem, with cigarette litter now found on 78% of our streets."
Today, working in partnership with eleven local authorities and Tesco (which is selling a portable ashtray called Ashcan), Encams is launching its latest campaign to encourage smokers to "bin their butt". According to their website:
The striking campaign ... aims to drive home the scale of cigarette litter as a problem and encourage smokers to dispose of their dog ends properly. The eye-catching advertising will be seen across England on bus shelters, phone boxes, lamp post banners in Tesco car parks, and in washrooms and on beer mats in pubs, bars and clubs.
I have no problem with a war on litter. Indeed, Forest is to launch its own 'Responsible Smoking' campaign which will include a plea to smokers to take greater care when disposing of their fag ends. The difference is that instead of hectoring smokers we will urge local councils and businesses to do more to help smokers behave responsibly - by providing more cigarette bins.
A noticeable absentee from Encams' list of partners is the consumer. Instead, this taxpayer-funded organisation has opted to bully and ridicule smokers. Borrowing heavily from a similar campaign in Australia (where the message was "Don't be a tosser"), the new campaign is thought to feature the slogan "Don't be a dirty chucker" (geddit?).*
No surprise there. Some time ago I attended an Encams meeting in Westminster that was attended by MPs and other interested parties. (Sorry, let me rephrase that. I invited myself.) I expressed support for an anti-litter campaign but made clear that Forest did not appreciate heavy-handed threats of fines if people are caught, absent-mindedly dropping cigarette butts. Not should smokers be singled out ahead of people who drop sweet wrappers, chewing gum or anything else.
Despite our best efforts, we were quickly excluded from the consultation process which was being driven by a woman who (surprise, surprise) had been a leading anti-smoking campaigner in Australia. Although she has returned Down Under, her influence is there for all to see.
The truth is, Encams' latest initiative is part of a much bigger campaign - the "denormalisation" of smoking. As far as they're concerned, smokers are just a bunch of tossers who need to be whipped into line.
* I was given a sneak preview of the proposed posters a few weeks ago but neither the posters nor the slogans are currently featured on Encams' website, which is an odd way to launch a campaign. Watch this space.
PS. The leading story on the Encams home page says that "London is bidding to become the cleanest city on earth in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games". Cue a crackdown on smoking anywhere in London prior to and during the Games?
Simon Clark
The new campaign is to be launched tomorrow (Tuesday) in Trafalgar Square when Encams will unveil a 30ft high cigarette butt. Oh, and the slogan is not "Don't be a dirty chucker" but "Are you a dirty chucker?". Charming.
Simon Clark
I have just received an advance copy of Keep Britain Tidy's press release. It's even more offensive than I anticipated. However, it's embargoed until midnight and I respect embargoes so you'll have to wait until the morning to read it - along with Forest's response. (Not sure how much coverage the campaign will get. I have just called the Press Association and BBC News Online and neither seem too interested. We'll see.)
Reader Comments (7)
How nice for Tesco that expression of its highly developed social conscience coincides with a retail opportunity.
I wouldn't be surprised if the lack of bins provided by Councils is subconsciously deliberate: they save money by not providing them, their lack offers the opportunity to raise some dosh from a fine and discarded butts re-inforce the image of smokers as dirty, socially irresponsible addicts.
Maybe London should just ban people in its attempt to be the cleanest city on earth? Everything they do is messy, eating, drinking, clogging up the pavements and roads.
If it was the 1st of April, this startling news would seem more believable.
Where did all the sane people go?
Someone wants to tell Encam that they'd be more appreciated if they started a campaign to stop all the filthy spitters gobbing all over the streets before they do anything else. Opps, sorry it's probably their human right to spit.
Is there N) organisation that isn't going to jump on this bandwagon, pretty soon they'll have to build another one, the present one will soon be full.
Watch out for the ON-THE-SPOT penalties for anyone caught dropping a cigger butt, when is it ever going to stop. I never thought that this country would ever allow a minority group, a big minority at that, to be demonised to the point of full persecution. Bastards, evil, rotten stinking bastards.
I went to the Palace Theatre in Manchester to see a show. Before going in, and during the interval, I, and other smokers had a cigarette outside. For some reason, it seems that the management have not thought of the fact that out of 2,000 patrons, there may be some smokers, and this in one of the first Cities to start on the spot fines for discarding of cigarette dimps. This is not the only place where I have noticed an absence of outdoor ashtrays.
I emailed Keep Britain Tidy, several months ago about the lack of cigarette bins. Their answer was for me to contact my local council.
Well, neither Tesco nor the local council will get any more money out of my tiny state pension. I carry an empty fag packet around to put my fag butts in. Always have, always will.