CORINTH, Miss. (WTVA) -- Lisa Crum takes a smoke break. She is among those who choose to place a cigarette in an ash receptacle.
She sees others who do not.
"They are in a hurry, just not thinking sometimes," Crum said.
Andrea Rose heads up the Keep America Beautiful affiliate in Corinth.
She wishes even more people would be responsible with their cigarette trash.
"If I ever see one flick it out, it gets me right here because we've worked for so long to get the cigarette litter gone, and they are so small, people don't realize. But 33 percent of the litter that makes it to our oceans and our waterways is cigarette litter," Rose said.
Over the past five years, the local affiliate has managed to place with the help of local business owners and grant money 400 ash receptacles throughout downtown and beyond.
Since they stepped up all efforts to reduce cigarette litter in Corinth using receptacles, cigarette litter has been reduced by 74 percent.
That effort has led to national attention.
The national Keep America Beautiful organization is going to feature Corinth in a video.
"We are thrilled the residents of Corinth and Alcorn County and the business owners have really embraced this program over the last five years and have continued to try to maintain the program, continue to grow it and that it's been such a success for us," Rose added.
Also successful is product placement.
Free pocket ash trays are among the ways they work to keep cigarette trash to a minimum.
"That's kind of creative, I think. They are cute, and they are simple, and you put them in your pocket," Mississippi Welcome Center supervisor Sherry Brown said.
They have achieved success, but the work continues to educate those who may see a receptacle but just throw it on the ground anyway.
"Other avenues would be to put up more signage to help encourage people to stay with the program and not forget it," Corinth banker Vic Marlar said.
