TerraCycle Recycles Millions Of Cigarette Butts Nationwide/RNN

Good follow up to our interview with Terra Cycle on this program.

Cigarette butts are the world’s most littered item with nearly 4.5 trillion being tossed each year and last year in the United States, it is estimated 1.69 billion pounds of butts ended up as toxic waste.

TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams works with cities and municipalities globally to recycle cigarette butts. Since 2012, when TerraCycle launched its first cigarette recycling program, it has collected hundreds of millions of butts around the world. In 2017, in the United States alone, TerraCycle collected tens of millions of cigarette butts from over 50 cities and six-months into 2018, is poised to exceed those numbers.

“TerraCycle develops innovative ways to recycle hard-to-recycle items,” said Tom Szaky, CEO, TerraCycle. “From diapers, to coffee pods, to cigarette butts, we are actively working to reduce the waste that goes to landfill. In the last six years our cigarette recycling program has grown tremendously and has contributed to cities across the country reducing their cigarette litter.”

A combination of organic material and cetyl acetate plastic traditionally render cigarette butts unrecyclable and destined for landfills. However, through the TerraCycle Cigarette Butt Recycling program, individuals and organizations can place the Cigarette Butt Receptacles in high traffic areas, collect the waste and ship it to TerraCycle for recycling into usable material for new products such as shipping pallets, ashtrays and plastic lumber.