TRENTON, N.J. – Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. (SFNTC) has teamed up with TerraCycle, a world leader in developing solutions for hard-to-recycle materials, to do something about cigarette butt litter. According to Keep America Beautiful (KAB), 65% of all cigarette butts are disposed of improperly. But thanks to TerraCycle, cigarette litter can now be recycled. With funding from SFNTC, TerraCycle is launching a national program to collect and recycle cigarette waste. The Cigarette Waste Brigade will divert used cigarette butts from landfills. “You don’t have to walk or drive very far to see that smokers often discard cigarette waste in ways that litter the environment,” said Cressida Lozano, head of sales and marketing for SFNTC, in a press release. “Our company has been committed to environmental sustainability since we were founded 30 years ago, and we’re proud to be the exclusive sponsor of an innovative program to reduce and recycle cigarette butt litter, regardless of which manufacturer made the cigarettes.” “The Cigarette Waste Brigade has the potential to transform public spaces across the country, drastically reducing the amount of litter that is discarded,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky. “Furthermore, the Cigarette Waste Brigade will provide a solution for the filters that are properly disposed of in an ashtray or can, but today still end up in a landfill.” Cigarette filters (and other related tobacco waste) are the number-one item recovered during the annual Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day, with more than 52 million cigarette filters collected from beaches in the past 25 years. They’re a source of litter in a variety of public outdoor spaces, including sidewalks, roadways, parks, shopping malls and office buildings. In 2009, a Keep America Beautiful study found that cigarette waste accounted for 38% of all U.S. roadway litter. Contrary to popular belief, cigarette butts are not biodegradable and do not break down quickly. The cigarette waste collection program will make this pervasive waste recyclable for the first time.