Please butt it then bin it - that's the message City of Greater Geelong Cr Tom O'Connor has for smokers.

This week is Butt Free City Week, and to help push this message educators will target cigarette butt littering 'hot spots' in Central Geelong and talk to smokers to encourage them to dispose of their butts responsibly.  The educators will hand out personal ashtrays to smokers who pledge to butt it then bin it.

The national Butt Free City Week initiative aims to encourage smokers to reduce the estimated 7.2 million butts littered every year.

"There are no excuses for throwing cigarette butts on the ground," Cr O'Connor who holds the City's Environment and Waste Management portfolio said, "Cigarette butts remain Australia's number one litter issue - if they don't get binned they end up in the bay or in our waterways."

"Disposing of butts responsibly is a small action that can make a big difference," he said.

"During this week four teams of two Butt Free City Week educators will rove the streets of Central Geelong handing out personal ashtrays and asking smokers to please butt it and then bin it," he said.

"With the introduction of smoking bans in bars more people are smoking outside - so this is a very timely reminder to all smokers to bin their butts."

From 17 to 20 March Butt Free City Week educators will be targeting areas including Lt Malop Central, the Geelong Hospital precinct, Geelong Railway Station, bus stops and entrances to hotels/bars.

Butt Free City Week is organised by the Butt Littering Trust in partnership with local councils, including the City of Greater Geelong, and other stakeholders.