Preferably smoke-free and odour-free ashtray which extinguishes smoking articles, in particular cigarettes and cigarette ends, in particular for public spaces and outdoor areas, comprising a container having an upper cover and an upper lateral introduction opening (2; 106; 138) for smoking articles, a receiving container (58; 110; 158), in particular a water container, which is located in the lower region of the container and, for the purpose of receiving ash and smoking-article residues, is in fluidic connection with the introduction opening (2; 106; 138), a suction-extraction device which, for the purpose of extracting air and smoke by suction, is in fluidic connection with the introduction opening (2; 106; 138) and the receiving container (58; 110; 158) and is also configured to operate in an operating phase 1 with reduced suction capacity for the purpose of taking in air and smoke and in an operating phase 2 with enhanced suction capacity for the purpose of taking in air and smoke and also smoking-article residues and, for the purpose of extracting smoking articles from a user's hand by suction, is in fluidic connection with the introduction opening (2; 106; 138), a movement detector in an upper region, a distance sensor in the vicinity of the introduction opening, and a control device, which is configured to activate operating phase 1 of the suction-extraction device when the movement detector detects that a person is approaching a predefinable distance from the ashtray and to activate operating phase 2 of the suction-extraction device for a specific predeterminable period of time when the distance sensor establishes that the person is drawing even closer to a predefinable distance from the ashtray. a container having an upper cover and an upper lateral introduction opening (2; 106; 138) for smoking articles, a receiving container (58; 110; 158), in particular a water container, which is located in the lower region of the container and, for the purpose of receiving ash and smoking-article residues, is in fluidic connection with the introduction opening (2; 106; 138), a suction-extraction device which, for the purpose of extracting air and smoke by suction, is in fluidic connection with the introduction opening (2; 106; 138) and the receiving container (58; 110; 158) and is also configured to operate in an operating phase 1 with reduced suction capacity for the purpose of taking in air and smoke and in an operating phase 2 with enhanced suction capacity for the purpose of taking in air and smoke and also smoking-article residues and, for the purpose of extracting smoking articles from a user's hand by suction, is in fluidic connection with the introduction opening (2; 106; 138), a movement detector in an upper region, a distance sensor in the vicinity of the introduction opening, and a control device, which is configured to activate operating phase 1 of the suction-extraction device when the movement detector detects that a person is approaching a predefinable distance from the ashtray and to activate operating phase 2 of the suction-extraction device for a specific predeterminable period of time when the distance sensor establishes that the person is drawing even closer to a predefinable distance from the ashtray.