Butting out at Kangan Institute
11 January 2010
There are no butts about it - Kangan Institute officially became a completely smoke-free zone as 2010 kicked off on January 1.
The new non-smoking policy applies to all campus grounds, and all students, staff and visitors.
CEO Ray Griffiths said the policy will not only bring the Institute in line with many other Australian TAFES, but will also go a long way to making campus life much healthier and enjoyable.
"As a leading vocational education and training provider, we have a responsibility to make sure that our staff, students and guests are able to enjoy a healthy, safe and clean working and learning environment," he says.
"The new non-smoking policy is a highly effective way we can create that environment."
Smoking is now restricted right up to the outer perimeter of all Kangan Institute campuses, which means no smoking on any part of Kangan Institute property, including car parks.
Passive smoking is a risk to the health of employees and students. It has been proven to cause a number of cancers, asthma, heart disease, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory diseases.
Aside from the health benefits, the visual appeal of Kangan Institute campuses will improve significantly with the new policy. Butt bins are provided in key outer locations to ensure cigarette butt litter is not simply transferred to the surrounding streets.
"There tends to be a significant amount of cigarette butt litter around all of our campuses," Ray says.
"Cigarette butt litter contributes to over three percent of the volume of Kangan Institute's waste, detracts from the visual appeal of the grounds, increases cleaning costs, poses risks to native flora and fauna, and harms our local waterways."
