TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

Gross-out green week - Day four: Cigarette butt recycling

Include USA cigarette butts erraCycle
One of the most pervasive types of litter is cigarette butts. And contrary to popular belief, they are not biodegradable. Most cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a synthetic plastic-like substance used commonly for photographic film. Thousands of cigarette butts litter our roadsides, sidewalks, parking lots, and beaches. In fact, according to Ocean Conservancy.org, they are the number one litter item found. A couple of companies are working on solutions that range from recycling the butts into plastic (TerraCycle now has a fundraising brigade for butts), and InnovaGreen in Ohio uses the butts to manufacture coatings and adhesives as well as generate employment, as the butts must processed by hand.