Pa. plans trial smoking ban in state parks

    State officials are planning a trial smoking ban next year in two Pennsylvania state parks as they deal with complaints about litter.

    The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says it’s getting complaints about cigarette butts discarded in lakes and on beaches.

     

    Department spokesman Terry Brady tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the abundance of butts eats up time maintenance workers would otherwise put to good use. He says filtered cigarettes are particularly troublesome because they don’t biodegrade quickly.

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    Officials haven’t decided which of the state’s 120 parks would be part of the trial ban but at least one would have a body of water.

    Brady says the ban could be extended to all state parks if it’s successful.

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