Gemeeente  trials smoke-free beach zone at Scheveningen

From September 16 to October 31, the gemeente  will conduct a smoke-free beach  trial on the stretch of  Scheveningen beach between  HartBeach surf school and Fonk beach club.

Beach visitors are asked not to smoke in the area through social media, flags and information signs.   “Butts are extremely bad for the environment,” says alderman  Arjen Kapteijns. “A cigarette butt can pollute up to 1,000 litres of water and they are also difficult to clean up. That is why I think this trial is extremely important. I call on beach visitors to do their part. Because only together can we keep our nature cigarette butt-free.”

However, there won’t  be  any  enforcement of the smoke-free stretch of beach. Partly because a smoking ban is legally difficult.   However, a  similar trial with a smoke-free beach zones  in another municipality has  shown  that smoking is reduced  even without  enforcement.

The  gemeente  together with TrashUre Hunt, Scheveningen  has  been working for years to reduce cigarette waste.  TrashUre Hunt will be holding  a clean-up campaign every week during the trial and keep track of how many butts are found.

Surveys  will also  be conducted among residents and visitors to the beach to ask for their opinions about the trial.