Measurement of cigarette butt litter accumulation within city bus shelters.

Abstract

Background—Transportation settings such as bus stops are increasingly the target for new smokefree area policies, including in New Zealand (e.g. plans by Auckland City Council).1 Relevant issues for considering smokefree settings include secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, nuisance, litter, fire risks and the normalisation of smoking. National survey data in New Zealand indicates that SHS exposure at a bus stop or train station is regularly reported.2 Other data indicates that public transport users report nuisance and health concerns around being exposed to SHS in these settings.3 Previous work has found markedly elevated levels of fine particulates from tobacco smoke in New Zealand bus shelte..