AN ITEM commonly littered throughout Brisbane’s parks and streets is set to find new life through a Brisbane City Council trial. Cigarette butts will be taken from council bins and recycled by TerraCycle during the six-month program announced at the council’s meeting (Tuesday, June 9). Hamilton ward councillor David McLachlan said the trial aimed to curb the environmental impact of used cigarettes. “Cigarette butt litter accounts for about a third of all littered items and we are looking at reducing this litter in landfill with the added benefit of recycling these materials,” Cr McLachlan said. “This trial is being conducted at 100 bins across the CBD and each of these bins has a sticker about the trial. “After the cigarette butts are collected from the bins when they are emptied, the cigarette butts will be sent to an external specialised plant for recycling.” Cr McLachlan said it was possible to recycle them into useful household goods. “Recycling includes stripping the organic materials from the main part of the cigarette and extracting the plastic from the filters,” he said. “Organics are then processed into composts and fertilisers with the plastics re-used as either outdoor furniture plastics or pallets. “We do look forward to the results of this trial and we will continue to encourage recycling and re-use wherever we can.” The council hands out fines of $227 for general littering and $455 for dangerous littering. TerraCycle launched the world’s first cigarette butt recycling program in Canada in 2012.