C.A.T. Club Receptacles Pop Up Around HdG

The C.A.T. Club started dropping its name near bus stops and storefronts in Havre de Grace.

In recent weeks, Citizens Against Trash (C.A.T.), the group that formed over the winter to clean up the city's downtown, has placed cigarette butt receptacles bearing its cartoon logo near bus stops and other highly trafficked areas.

"It’s made a difference," C.A.T. Club organizer Al Peteraf said of the receptacles. "We know it’s working to some degree because there are butts in them."

In addition, Peteraf said: "We’ll notice where we would see problems before...now it’s not as bad."

The city of Havre de Grace has supported the effort. Peteraf purchased 20 receptacles for cigarette butts, and the city reimbursed him, according to city spokesman Jim Newby.

"We agreed to reimburse them from the War of 1812 grant money, from some of the tourism money," Newby said. The city provided $983 to the C.A.T. Club for the receptacles and "a couple hundred dollars" for signage, according to Newby.

Other than that, the club is saving the city money, he explained. "Every Saturday, they [C.A.T. Club participants] go and empty those containers of cigarette butts," Newby said. "It’s a win-win for everybody...The city itself doesn’t have manpower" to do it. "It’s the citizens."

With C.A.T. Club signage everywhere from the Promenade to Main Street, Peteraf said his hope is that more citizens will volunteer.

"If every citizen volunteered one hour per year to pick up litter, this town wouldn’t have a litter problem," Peteraf said.

Every Saturday at 8 a.m., all are invited to join the C.A.T. Club at Rochambeau Plaza (Washington and St. John Street), near Concord Point Coffee.