TerraCycle and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) are working together to keep cigarette butts off streets and out of landfills. Employees of OLG Slots at Dresden Raceway and other OLG locations across the province contributed to TerraCycle’s province-wide Cigarette Waste Recycling Program, which just reached a milestone of 39 million cigarette butts diverted from Ontario’s waste stream. By helping to keep cigarette butts out of landfills, OLG Slots at Dresden Raceway and other collectors earn points that can be redeemed for cash donations to the non-profit of their choice. Thanks to collectors like OLG Slots at Dresden Raceway, province-wide donations have just passed $29,000. “OLG has been a proud participant of TerraCycle’s Cigarette Waste Recycling Program since 2012,” said Catherine Jarmain, Director, Policy and Social Responsibility at OLG. “During this time, our site-led recycling programs have contributed to OLG’s environmental footprint reduction and have generated funds that sites then donate to local charities. Last year, OLG sites hosted a total of 14 TerraCycle waste recycling programs which collected 885 kilos of previously non-recyclable waste and raised over $1,900 for local charities. It’s gratifying to know that through one initiative we are improving the environment and, at the same time, helping those in the community who depend on local charities for important services.” TerraCycle is an international recycling company that finds innovative solutions for materials not typically accepted at municipal recycling facilities. The waste collected through the Cigarette Waste Recycling Program is recycled into a variety of industrial products, such as plastic pallets, and any remaining tobacco and paper is recycled as compost. “Every year, billions of cigarette butts end up in dumpsters and landfills, or get tossed as litter on shorelines, parks, and sidewalks across Canada” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “We have a big ‘thank you’ for the more than two thousand locations that have helped us collect 73 million cigarette butts through this recycling program.” Any individual, business or organization interested in reducing local landfill waste can learn more about TerraCycle at www.terracycle.ca.