April 2024 Tobacco Clean Up

Since April 22, 2013, the UCLA campus has been a smoke- and tobacco-free environment. The smoke- and tobacco-free policy includes all indoor and outdoor UCLA areas, including our hospitals and health-sciences campuses. It also prohibits other tobacco use, such as vaping or hookah use, and smoked marijuana. For more information, read the full policy here.

Take Down Tobacco Events are organized across the United States to help raise awareness of the problems of tobacco. We hope that you will support us on Earth Day as we advocate for a tobacco-free generation by participating in one of our events:

During the events, participants collect cigarette butts from the areas surrounding the Ronald Reagan and Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center properties. Prizes are awarded to the individual or team that collects the largest number of cigarette butts. 

For more information or to participate in this event, visit the UCLA Health Breathe Well site. 

In 2024, Santa Monica collected 0.33 lbs of cigarette butts, while Westwood collected significantly more at 1.56 lbs. This brought the total for 2024 to 1.89 lbs.

In 2023, the collection in Santa Monica was higher, at 0.73 lbs, with Westwood collecting 1.72 lbs, resulting in a total of 2.45 lbs for that year.

In 2022, Santa Monica collected 0.78 lbs of cigarette butts, and Westwood collected 0.83 lbs, totaling 1.61 lbs.