On almost any busy street in Philadelphia, discarded cigarette butts line the road and sidewalk. It’s not just in the city. Studies show that cigarette butts are the most littered item in the United States and around the world. Last month, the Mayfair Community Development Corporation, with the help of an environmental grant, installed 10 cigarette receptacles in an attempt to cut down on the number of discarded butts along Frankford Avenue. Butts tossed into the containers will not only be kept off the street. They will be sent to a Trenton recycling plant, where the cigarette filters are turned into park benches, shipping pallets and other items. The small aluminum receptacles, manufactured by a company called Sidewalk Buttler, were strategically placed, according to Marc Collazzo, executive director of the Mayfair CDC and Business Improvement District. “We really wanted to revolve around our taverns and SEPTA bus stops because that would be the area people would be smoking and maybe more likely to just flick a cigarette butt,” Collazzo said. The idea is that smokers will properly dispose of cigarettes if they have a nearby opportunity. “Smokers generally don’t want to be litterers,” said Mike Roylos, founder of Sidewalk Buttler, which is based in Portland, Maine. A 2009 study by the environmental nonprofit Keep America Beautiful found that cigarette litter is decreased by 9 percent for each additional butt receptacle in a particular area. KAB’s study also found that a majority of people did not think flicking cigarette butts was littering, even though the filters are not biodegradable. “People smoke and that’s OK,” Collazzo said. “We just want to make sure that people are mindful of keeping our community safe and beautiful and healthy for everybody.” The CDC purchased the receptacles from Roylos’ company with a $1,200 grant from Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, KAB’s local affiliate. Other community groups, including the Fishtown Neighbors Association and the Olde Richmond Civic Association, have also received grants to install the receptacles. Each container can hold about 650 cigarette butts, according to Roylos, and Collazzo said the CDC will empty them on a weekly basis. The receptacles are locked and are not flammable. After being collected, the butts will be shipped to TerraCycle, a Trenton-based company that composts the tobacco and recycles the filters and paper. The filters, which are made of synthetic fiber, are cleaned and melted into hard plastic for use in a variety of products. “Once they’re in our little containers, they never see the light of day again,” Roylos said. Collazzo called the move to install the receptacles a “no-brainer” and said the CDC will be looking for grant opportunities to buy more for the neighborhood. “It’s a wonderful neighborhood tool,” he said. “I hope that… other areas in the Northeast and beyond will look to do this because it’s really a great thing.” Currently, the receptacles are located along Frankford Avenue at Princeton Avenue, Levick Street, Robbins Street and at several spots near Cottman Avenue. •• Jack Tomczuk can be reached at jtomczuk@newspapermediagroup.com  

This semester, I engaged my Rutgers Business School students on a team project to learn about sustainability innovations that companies are making - I loved the results.   First, it was quite exciting to learn about companies that are innovating for global good. For example: TerraCycle, a young company "Eliminating the Idea of Waste® by recycling the non-recyclable. Whether it's coffee capsules from your home, pens from a school, or plastic gloves from a manufacturing facility, TerraCycle can collect and recycle almost any form of waste." Read the story written by my students here.       Image: Living its mission, TerraCycle uses recycled materials in its offices.   Green Point Juicery, an organic juice bar in Verona, New Jersey, promoting a healthy diet through its products, serving their products in biodegradable cups and straws, composting at a local farm, collecting and donating organic waste. Read my students' story here.       Image: Green Point's juicing leftovers get carefully inspected by deer before being composted. Source: Instagram   Earth Friendly Products, a manufacturer of detergents derived from replenishable resources, never tested on animals at carbon-neutral plants.       Image: My students with managers at Earth Friendly Products.   Other stories published included about: The Body Shop and ShopRite. All exciting stories about how business is making a positive impact locally and globally!   Second, students loved the experience. They wrote:   "Before working with my group to do this project, I gave very little thought to sustainability. After working on this and learning of TerraCycle, the idea of sustainability is at the forefront of my mind."   "After learning more in depth of Earth Friendly Products innovations, we were inspired to be more green conscious. We realized how the smallest change in our day to day decisions can drastically impact our health and, most importantly, our planet."   "We are grateful for the opportunity of visiting and touring Earth Friendly Products' plant located in Parsippany, NJ. We were honored to meet and interview top management and employees, which helped us to understand the company better by receiving feedback from the primary sources. After working so closely as a team, it helped us develop a stronger sense of leadership and a better understanding on how to work within a group in a formal business setting. This project helped us gain significant insight into the process in which innovations are put into action through dedication and vision. We believe that this experience has had a positive impact both personally and professionally."   "The AIM2Flourish assignment was an unforgettable and thought-provoking experience. Since the initiation from searching for a company to making the connection of the United Nations Global Goals, it was all educational. After finding the company, we wondered how responsive the company would be. However, it all worked out great. Our team learned so much about the industry, and the company's staff was so friendly and hospitable. A new inspiration we learned from this experience is not to be wasteful. The innovator gave us insight that you can take something old and make something new out of it."   I am excited about our partnership with Aim2Flourish, the platform that inspired the project. It was truly and opportunity to "connect students with business innovators using Appreciative Inquiry to celebrate business innovations aligned with the UN Global Goals."   Special thanks to the companies who opened their doors to our student teams!   #sustainability #innovation #business #education  

Efforts at home and abroad to curb the use of plastic packaging was a popular topic in 2018, especially those that involved innovative new solutions.   Amidst major strategies announced in Europe to address plastic waste, companies here at home questioned whether sustainable packaging is worth the cost and whether the issue is as important to consumers as the packaging industry believes. In 2018, GreenerPackage.com readers also wanted to learn what the largest CPGs are doing to reduce their packaging footprint.   Look for the number-one story of 2018 to be one of the largest movements in sustainable packaging into 2019 and beyond.   10. First-ever Europe-wide strategy launched to address plastic waste The European Strategy for Plastics commits to 100% recyclable plastics in the EU by 2030, a reduction in single-use plastics, and the restriction of microplastics, among other goals.   9. McDonald’s makes significant commitments to packaging sustainability Among them, 100% of materials to come from renewable, recycled, or FSC-certified materials by 2025, and recycling of 100% of packaging in its restaurants, also by 2025.   8. P&G wins Dow’s Diamond  The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) announced the winners of the 2018 30th Awards for Packaging Innovation, which recognizes the packaging industry’s top achievements in innovative packaging designs, materials, technologies, and processes.   7. PepsiCo joins NaturALL Bottle Alliance The alliance, a research consortium developed by Danone, Nestle Waters, and Origin Materials, is making progress on developing and introducing a 100% bio-based PET beverage bottle.   6. Sustainable packaging materials: worth the cost? One of the biggest challenges for producers of environmentally-friendly packaging is to convince consumers that these sustainable materials are worth the cost. 5. Green packaging: A priority for consumers? Survey looks at how consumers’ interest in sustainable packaging has changed and the extent to which this will affect brand owners’ success moving forward.   4. EUROPEN: The state of packaging policy in Europe Virginia Janssens, Executive Director of EUROPEN and speaker at the upcoming AMERIPEN Annual Conference, discusses the Circular Economy, EPR, and other European packaging policies.   3. Brand owner, consumer sustainable packaging perceptions diverge A new study uncovers how brand owners and consumers approach sustainable packaging and looks at the opportunities for brand owners to position flexible packaging as sustainable.   2. Compostable cereal bag featured in plastic-free grocery aisle A flexible pouch made from bio-based compostable materials allows Dutch organic cereal producer De Halm to showcase its products in Ekoplaza’s plastic-free grocery aisle.   1. TerraCycle to unveil ‘Loop’ TerraCycle Founder and CEO Tom Szaky shares news on the upcycling company’s work creating a supply chain for ocean plastics and provides a peek at the upcoming launch of its transformational Loop platform.

Garnier, a naturally inspired skincare and haircare brand, announced that Winston-Salem State University received a Garnier Green Garden made from recycled beauty and personal care products for the Winston-Salem community. University student Miranda Legg was named the winner of Garnier national Rinse, Recycle, Repeat campaign, created in partnership with TerraCycle and DoSomething.org. Launched in March 2018, the goal of Rinse, Recycle, Repeat was to convey the importance of recycling beauty and personal care waste containers. From the competition, over 20,000 beauty and personal care containers were collected. Legg competed against entrants from 49 other schools throughout the month of April. As a result of her efforts, a new Garnier Green Garden was donated to Simon’s Green Acre Community Garden, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The revamped garden includes raised beds, picnic tables, park benches and waste receptacles. In addition to the Simon’s installation, Garnier has donated 11 other Garnier Green Gardens throughout the country. These gardens have engaged hundreds of thousands of individuals in the surrounding communities and many of them grow fruit and vegetables for local schools in impoverished areas where children do not have access to nutritional lunches.

In the spirit of year-end reflection — and celebrating the progress we made over the past 12 months to accelerate the clean economy — we recently asked our inaugural cohort of the VERGE Vanguarda question: "What do you think was the most significant development in 2018 for the clean economy transition?"   The eight responses we received from the mix of visionaries, network builders, corporate leaders and innovators we honored this year reinforce that, amidst all else, there’s a great deal to celebrate this holiday season.   The following are their responses, reflecting the diversity of promising signals across industries and sectors to celebrate — and continue advancing — as we head into the new year. The comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity.     Robin Chase

Robin Chase, co-founder, Veniam and Zipcar

Out of the blue, electric "push" scooters have arrived on city streets almost everywhere, causing commotion and anxiety. Remarkable is that their adoption and growth is 10 times that of shared bikes.   Reports from the Portland, Oregon, pilot find that nearly 50 percent of users had never been in a bike lane before (they are not your environmental cyclists!), and 36 percent otherwise would have traveled by car (among tourists, that rises to 48 percent).   So, here we have a widely adopted, small physical footprint, electric (potential for zero emissions) vehicle that could substitute for a significant percentage of people's trips. Bonus: they don't compete with transit since they are only used for short trips.     Noah Deich

Noah Deich, founder and executive director, Carbon180

The emergence of strategies for turning waste carbon back into a valuable resource as a stepping stone towards building an economy that sequesters more carbon than it emits.   From farmers and ranchers deploying techniques to boost soil health, to entrepreneurs developing technologies for "mining" carbon from the sky, we have seen exponential progress and interest from scientists, businesses and policymakers alike.     Jeffrey Hogue

Jeffrey Hogue, global chief sustainability officer, C&A

Speaking broadly for the fashion and apparel industry, there has been one major pre-competitive development that has the potential to significantly transform the industry: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular initiative will catalyze the fashion industry to innovate toward a circular economy.   Like its work on plastics, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular most likely will create an industry-wide tipping point where we can collaborate to keep safe materials in use and to allow the industry to harness the enormous value that is lost in the current linear model.     Holmes Hummel

Holmes Hummel, founder, Clean Energy Works

In 2018, more countries set targets for driving fossil fuel cars and trucks off the road for good. Prior announcements from the United Kingdom, France, India, South Korea, Germany and more were added to from places as varied as Costa Rica, Denmark, Israel and Taiwan.   These clear policy signals will help attract multi-billion-dollar investments in new electromobility solutions that can save precious time in the global race to a clean energy future.     Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur, founder and chair, Ellen MacArthur Foundation

2018 has seen unprecedented momentum in the transition from a linear to a circular economy. In October, we launched the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment with more than 250 organizations, representing over 20 percent of the global plastic packaging market, to collaborate and innovate towards a circular economy for plastics.   Research initiatives from REMADE Institute, Material Economics and SITRA included landmark circular economy studies and open innovation projects.   Recognition is increasing as to the connections between materials, energy, economics, environment and society. In a circular economy, natural capital is regenerated; products are designed to be kept in use through repair, remanufacturing and resale; materials are valued and reused so they never become waste.   Moving from today’s model of extract and consume, to one in which we create and circulate value, will have a profound impact on global energy and resource demands.     Nancy Pfund

Nancy Pfund, founder and managing director, DBL Partners

2018 was the inflection point for mass deployment of off-grid solar and storage. Energy access helps people achieve common aspirations: economic opportunity, empowerment, health, security and education.   Consider Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy. Though oil-rich, its power grid is unreliable, forcing 100 million Nigerians to use diesel generators to meet basic energy needs. The results are higher carbon emissions, harmful pollution, excessive energy expenses and weaker economic growth.   These challenges represent a huge opportunity. With Nigeria’s population slated to overtake the United States, the time to switch to affordable, clean energy is now. Companies such as Africa-based ZOLA Electric are making it happen.     Tom Szaky

Tom Szaky, CEO, Terracycle

The release of the BBC’s "Blue Planet II," which was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, generating a global outcry from citizens.   This resulted in unprecedented new legislation to eliminate single-use items (from plastic straw bans to broader bans of single-use dining items); galvanized manufacturers and retailers to create daring solutions (like Tesco banning compostable packaging from all of their stores by April); and has created much needed public consciousness to the crisis of waste.     Bill Weihl

Bill Weihl, former sustainability czar for Facebook, Google

The most significant development in 2018: extreme weather events (wildfires, floods, hurricanes, etc.), coupled with the IPCC report, the National Climate Assessment and other reports that together fed a tidal wave of urgency — and an associated shift in the political climate in the United States that has opened the space to discuss real climate solutions at the federal, state and local level.   Expect a much louder chorus of demands for climate action in 2019 and 2020.

美國回收公司TerraCylce專門回收任何「不可回收」物品包括菸蒂、尿布及口香糖、牙膏管等，其廢香菸回收計畫(Cigarette Waste Recycling Programs)獲得菸商支付其處理成本，回收橫跨363城市超過7500萬噸的菸蒂，經分離處理後，可再製成公園長椅、塑膠棧板等物品。

Nine New Jersey companies were named to the 2018 Entrepreneur 360 list, an annual list by Entrepreneur.com that honors companies for “mastering the art and science of growing a business.”   According to Entrepreneur.com, companies were judged on five metrics: impact, innovation, growth, leadership and business valuation.   Companies needed to apply to be considered — so the final list cannot be considered a complete look at companies across the country.   That being said, other states fared much better than New Jersey, including California (with 67 honorees), Texas (42) and New York (34).   Austin, Texas, alone had more companies than the entire state of New Jersey, with 11.   The good news: Of the states New Jersey is most often is compared with had similar results.   Pennsylvania had 12 companies on the list. North Carolina had nine. And Massachusetts had just six.   Here is a list of the New Jersey companies, with their ranking, location and category (as assigned by Entrepreneur.com):   No. 2: 22^nd Century Technologies, Somerset, professional employer organizations; No. 18: Vydia, Holmdel, internet publishing, broadcasting and web search portals; No. 54: Evolution Labs, Morristown, educational support services; No. 140: ControlTek, Bridgewater, professional equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers; No. 151: TerraCycle, Trenton, waste collection, recycling; No. 293: Patriot Sawcutting, Englewood, industrial building construction; No. 297: Kavayah Solutions, Princeton, computer systems design and related services; No. 305: Health Recovery Solutions, Hoboken, professional scientific and technical services; No. 356: Senor Sangria, Maplewood, wine and distilled beverage merchant wholesalers.   For the complete list, click here.  

the average us citizen throws away an estimated 70 lbs worth of textiles annually 

In the history of Waste Dive, 2018 will surely go down as our busiest and best year yet. We covered the ongoing paradigm shift in recycling, major corporate consolidation, emerging environmental issues and a long list of other topics that will be key to the industry's future. Here are 10 of our top picks, based on traffic and impact, but the list of stories we enjoyed working on is far longer. See a favorite story of yours missing from this list? We always enjoy hearing from you at waste.dive.editors@industrydive.com.

1.    How recycling is changing in all 50 states

Our state-level tracker remains highly popular after more than a year in action. In 2018, we sifted through hundreds upon hundreds of links and tips to provide the most comprehensive picture you'll find anywhere. Read More »

2.    GFL Environmental closes Waste Industries deal, now in 20 states

GFL's acquisition will go down as the biggest deal of the year. Soon after, we broke the story on a second deal that puts it in 20 states. Read More »

3.    Republic CEO on tax 'windfall' plans: New trucks and locker rooms, not bonuses

Out of all our post-tax cut earnings coverage, this resonated the most on our site as well as our Facebook audience. Read More »

4.    With China's 'nearly impossible' contamination standard, where are MRFs looking now?

As the 0.5% enforcement date approached in March, we took a look at how MRFs were adapting in multiple states. Read More »

5.    Waste Management's Bell on the tough job of MRF sorters and life after China

Waste Dive interviewed plenty of Waste Management executives this year, including CEO Jim Fish and outgoing COO Jim Trevathan, but a SWANApalooza sit-down with the company's head of recycling captured the most attention. Read More »

6.    Mittelstaedt: 'There's a reckoning coming' for recycling

In his first interview with Waste Dive, the Waste Connections CEO talked tax cuts, immigration reform, organics, the future of landfills and, of course, recycling.  Read More »

7.    Is recycling only a Band-Aid? The TerraCycle CEO thinks so — and has plans to change the equation

Tom Szaky has a reputation for creative thinking, and this interview about ambitious expansion plans didn't disappoint. Read More »

8.    Inside Rubicon's voluminous ambitions

This exclusive interview with Rubicon Global's leadership team dissected how three new acquisitions fit into their master plan. Read More »

9.    PFAS: Putting the genie back in the bottle

The inaugural story from our columnist Rich Thompson touched a nerve on the latest acronym of concern for landfill operators. Read More »

10. Next up for the RecycLA experiment — optimization

After months of media silence, we checked in with the key players behind this high-profile franchise system to learn how it had evolved and later cover the approval of an ambitious facility certification plan. Read More »