The collected materials are recycled by mail through the "Brigrade" program at TerraCycle, a company that collects previously non-recyclable or difficult-to-recycle waste. They offer free shipping as well as a donation for each item recycled. David has also been working with Asheville GreenWorks (ashevillegreenworks.org) and encouraging people to participate in their "Hard 2 Recycle" events.

TerraCycle's CEO discusses the future of what he considers to be one of the only viable alternatives to plastics derived from non-renewable resources: durable bioplastics. Image: thornet_ via

The city launched cigarette butt recycling program in the same month and partnered with TerraCycle to become the first city in the nation to participate in such a recycling program. New Orleans earns $4 per pound of waste collected.

TerraCycle has also launched similar recycling programs, partnering with various cities to reduce the volume of litter created by cigarettes. Both Vancouver and New Orleans got on board with the plan to help keep their cities clean by targeting cigarette waste, while an arena in Nashville, TN collects and ships used cigarettes to TerraCycle for recycling and composting.  

The container costs about $40, and the city is responsible for cleaning them. The developers of the units, TerraCycle, a company in New Jersey, handles the waste for free.

The city, along with its Downtown Development District and New Jersey-based recycler TerraCycle, installed 50 new cigarette-recycling receptacles on several downtown blocks. TerraCycle, which uses difficult-to-recycle products in its process, has a nationwide program, along with New Orleans and other cities, that recycles cigarette butts into plastic pellets later used to make products, such as industrial pallets.

A key component of the initiative is the butt's final destination. A New Jersey company, TerraCycle, accepts the waste and composts the unburned tobacco and paper and recycles the plastic in the filters into pellets used to make products like park benches and shipping pallets, Lakeman said. Roylos hopes other cities in Maine and beyond will install Buttlers, and he has a plan to offer manufacturing and installation work to military veterans.

To conclude this series about bioplastics and the biodegradability (or lack thereof) of plastic products and packaging, I want to discuss the future of what I consider to be one of the only viable alternatives to plastics derived from non-renewable resources: durable bioplastics. The key word here is durable, because biodegradable plastics of any composition are not the long-term sustainable solution we need. When you compost a biodegradable plastic cup, that polymer can no longer be reused and maintained, meaning all of the energy and material inputs are lost in the soil.

Any school in the country can reduce waste and earn money by partnering with organizations such as TerraCycle, a nationwide recycling company based in New Jersey. Through a company fundraiser, schools can earn 2 cents per recycled item—such as drink pouches, glue bottles, pens and markers. And schools can make about $200 a month for collecting just drink pouches, says Albe Zakes, vice president of communications for TerraCycle, which also sells products made from recycled materials.

Students also collect hard-to-recycle items and donate them to a company called TerraCycle, which repurposes them. Through the donations, the school earns points that can be used to send items to people in need, said club member Zachary Rodier, a fifth-grader from Berwick.