Spilling from a small metal bin that has been secured to a sign outside Deep Image Tattooing are plenty of cigarette butts -on the footpath, in the gutter, down a laneway and even onto the road.

David Fenwick has operated the tattoo parlour for years, and as a non-smoker and business owner, he is fed up with getting out the broom to remove the filth that ends up directly outside his shop.

Mr Fenwick said he has contacted council about the mess twice, but the only change he has seen was a cleaner than usual footpath yesterday morning.

"They haven't emptied it at all but somebody has swept up butts -I don't know who," he said.

"I rang council twice and they didn't seem to care. They find plenty of time to drive around and mark tyres, but not to empty the ashtrays."

Changes to city laws mean that smokers are not allowed to light up in al fresco dining areas, and with a cafe on either side and a Chinese restaurant behind the tattoo parlour, the butts are building up.

"They provide it, but it's not practical," Mr Fenwick said.

"Council people are more worried about getting revenue than cleaning butts up. I don't work for council but council don't pay me to sweep them up.

"Because the ashtray is so full, people stick a live butt on it and it starts burning."

A spokesperson for council said yesterday that the ashtray was recently installed after businesses in the area requested it, and the maintenance schedule will now be increased to ensure it is emptied more frequently.