Columbia, South Carolina - with smoking ban in place more cigarette butts can be found..

October 2, 2010 - Area businesses say cigarette butts have become a big problem since a smoking ban passed in Columbia two years ago (began October 1, 2008).

Background: Columbia passed a no smoking ordinance in November of 2006, but it was not enforced until the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the validity of cities enacting no smoking provisions. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in March 2008 that cities and counties could pass such ordinances, and the Court outlined how local no smoking ordinances must be enforced. (Columbia Should Pass a Comprehensive No Smoking Ordinance May 2008)

The city extended the ban to include restaurants, and perhaps most controversial, bars starting October 1, 2008. A similar ban was be put in place in Richland County - the ban applied to unincorporated areas of Richland County not in the City of Columbia. City smoking ban in bars, restaurants beginsWIST.tv, 10/5/2008)

To help combat the butts, business owners are helping by ordering cigarette receptacles. Some have already been ordered in the Vista and may end up in places like Five Points. Kelly Tabor owns Good for the Soul Shoes in Five Points, and says he's tired of picking up butts on the sidewalk in front of his shoe store. "It just clutters up everything," said Tabor. "It makes the city look dirty." Tabor just ordered a cigarette receptacle. "Oh I think it's going to be fantastic," he said. "I'm hoping people will use them." Tabor believes if more businesses in Five Points buy receptacles, people will do the right thing.

"That cigarette butts' gonna be here for years," said Tabor. "It'll eventually make it's way in to the streams and rivers and it's a source of pollution. They need to think twice about tossing it or throwing it down on the ground."

Reference: Business owners battle cigarette butts following smoking ban, WISTV.com, 10/1/2010.

Some South Carolina news briefs:
South Carolina - cigarette tax raised 50 cents to 57 cents/pack..;
South Carolina - House overrides governor's veto of tobacco tax..;
South Carolina - governor vetoes bill to raise tobacco tax..;
South Carolina - tobacco tax increase bill goes to governor..;
South Carolina - state senate could send 50-cent cigarette tax increase to governor soon..;
South Carolina - senators try to write bill on cigarette tax increase to override Governor Sanford's veto..;
South Carolina - increase in cigarette tax still NOT likely..;
South Carolina - cigarette tax, State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex speaks up..;
South Carolina - among the worst states in the nation in smoking prevention efforts..;
South Carolina - among the worst states in the nation in smoking prevention efforts..;
South Carolina - most residents support raising the tobacco tax..;
South Carolina - with Gov. Sanford still in office most likely no tobacco tax increase in 2010..;
South Carolina - low cigarette pricing, smuggling, higher insurance premiums, etc..;
Lexington County, South Carolina has a workplace smoking ban..;
South Carolina - governor disappears, maybe its time to slip through a cigarette tax..;
South Carolina - next legislative session starts June 16th..;
South Carolina - lawmakers may disappoint again on cigarette tax increase..;
SC tobacco tax increase - doubt exists maybe NOT this year..;
South Carolina - can we expect a tobacco tax increase this year??;
South Carolina a magnet for cigarette black market..;
South Carolina - legislators eager to pass cigarette tax increase - the odds are against them??;
South Carolina to spend NO money on tobacco prevention..;
South Carolina (SC) will NOT devote any resources to anti-smoking programs..;
In 2008 will the politicians do what's right for the State of South Carolina??;
South Carolina - Tobacco Tax Increase Killed - State House Fails to Override Governor's Veto..
Tobacco Tax Increase – What’s Wrong with South Carolina??;