Please send this man 200,000 cigarette butts

from the Sunday Tasmanian: Adrian Avenell, of Devonport, needs 200,000 two-tone cigarette butts to make a sculpture and he wants Tasmania's smokers to help him.

"I've estimated if I can get 50 40-a-day smokers to save their butts for me I could get what I need in about six months," Mr Avenell said. "I'm asking smokers to save their butts and post them to me, then I'll reimburse them their costs."

The sculpture will feature a pavement covered with cigarette butts, a coffin and the Grim Reaper.

"I am hoping Australia's anti-smoking lobby will commission the piece, or maybe even QUIT or Clean Up Australia, but the sculpture is not necessarily intended to have an anti-smoking message.

"It is just an artistic piece I want to make using quite different material."

Mr Avenell's passion for sculpture arose during his 35-year career as chef; carving ice, mud and clay sculptures on buffets. In his retirement he has moved on to working with tin and stone and hopes in the future to explore brass.

"But first I need to get this butt sculpture out of my head."

[Personally, I've never understood "modern art." I don't plan to start now...]