Wellington city councillors are proposing to create a bylaw to stop cigarette butt littering, and believe it will make smokers more aware of the issue.

Inner-city residents believe they have a solution to Wellington's cigarette butt litter problem - getting beggars and beneficiaries to pick them up.

Wellington City Council is reviewing its Public Places Bylaw and proposes stomping out cigarette butts, making it an offence to drop them in any public place - even though there is no way of enforcing the rule.

Inner City Wellington's submission on the bylaw asks the council to implement a scheme, where people on a benefit could gather butts in return for compensation, which would be capped so they would not lose their benefit.

Sarah Webb , from the residents' association, said the idea stemmed from an encounter with a beggar who suggested the idea to the association's deputy chair, Geraldine Murphy.

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The scheme would also be open to those who beg, to provide an alternative and a public service by removing toxic litter from the streets for more appropriate disposal.

STUFF Inner City Wellington’s ​submission stemmed from deputy chair, Geraldine Murphy's encounter with someone begging on the street, who suggested the idea.

It could involve taking butts to a place to be weighed, where the person would be paid in cash, so they could buy food, she said.

"We believe this would give people a chance, and give them something productive to do."

The association believed it should be administered by an outreach agency that worked with the most needy.

123RF Inner City residents say the scheme would be open to those who beg, to provide them with a chance to make some money. (File photo)

Begging was still a "frustrating" issue for residents and businesses, who believed the council had swept the matter under the carpet, she said.

"It feels like they could not be bothered any more."

The submission said nuisance begging in the inner city should be included in the bylaw.

STUFF Councillor Brian Dawson, who holds the portfolio for social development believed collecting butts was an idea without merit and there were better, more dignified, ways to help those in need find work.

It asked the council to establish a facility in the inner city where people who beg and those on benefits could go to obtain food, money for transport or other assistance, to reduce the impact of begging activity on local businesses.

They believed it would complement existing services to provide 24-hour coverage.

A beggar outside New World in Willis St on Tuesday said he would pick up rubbish or do work around the community if it meant he would get an extra benefit.

KEVIN STENT/STUFF Wellington Downtown Community Ministry director Stephanie McIntyre believed the intention to help people in need was genuine but cigarette butts were litter and not something people should be handling.

"I need the extra to pay for my habit – cigarettes and food."

Councillor Brian Dawson, who holds the portfolio for social development, believed it was an idea without merit.

There were better, more dignified ways to help. The council had not forgotten about begging, but there was no easy answer, he said.

CAMERON BURNELL/STUFF First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson says Wellington's CBD needs a faster turnover of car parks.

Wellington Downtown Community Ministry director (DCM) Stephanie McIntyre said she hoped the intention was good - that people genuinely wanted to help the poor find work.

However, cigarette butts were litter and not something people should be handling.

Her staff recently met with council staff to discuss ideas for meaningful, paid work.

First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson said he was dumbfounded by a suggestion that those on a benefit would collect cigarette butts.

"No matter how frustrated stakeholders become with begging, I don't believe property owners, retail or hospitality stakeholders would support the proposition and further, this risks making Wellington seem like it's regressed 150 years."

The association's idea for a single destination for support was good in theory but could cause localised social issues and impact businesses nearby.

He believed begging had subsided in the CBD and those still on the street had vulnerabilities that money alone would not necessarily help, he said.