TRENTON — Trenton-based recycler Terracycle is making no butts about it, they’ve got big changes coming their way thanks to a new partnership with a cigarette manufacturer. The recycler announced last week that it has teamed up with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, makers of Natural American Spirit cigarettes, to launch a program aimed at collecting and recycling cigarette waste. The cigarette waste, according to a release from Terracycle, can be seen littered about in nearly every public place from sidewalks and roadways, to parks and shopping malls. Cigarette waste is a pervasive form of litter that Terracycle, along with the help of its new partnership, has led to the development of a creative solution to make use of discarded cigarette butts. “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, the head of sales and marketing for SFNTC in a 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.” According to the release issued by Terracycle, over 52 million cigarette butts were collected from beaches during the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day in the past 25 years. Terracycle aims to turn the previously undesirable cigarette butts into items like shipping products, plastic lumber, railroad ties and other industrial items after the waste is converted into plastic pellets. Zakes said that while the plastic pellets are carcinogen and toxin free, Terracycle declined to turn them into consumer products based on the stigma that cigarettes carry. Instead, the company decided that the pellets could be used to make industrial products. One of these products, which the company had on display at its offices were plastic shipping pallets, which Zakes told The Trentonian are more durable than wooden pallets that are prone to breakage. According to Terracycle the cigarette butts are processed in the town of Portland, Pa., which is located in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. The company said that the paper and remaining tobacco will be composted, while the largely plastic filter medium is melted down and converted into a toxin-free plastic pellet that will eventually be used to create new products, which according to Zakes would have previously called for the use of virgin material, meaning companies would be creating more new plastic. Despite the stigma based around cigarettes, Terracycle ensured that the raw pellets are safe and toxin free by treating them to a round gamma radiation. “People might think that (gamma radiation) is a scary thing,” said Zakes. “But it’s not, it’s the same process used to kill bacteria like salmonella in food.” At the Terracycle lab on New York Avenue, samples of similar pellets were displayed along with products that they could be transformed into. Among the products on display were parking space dividers and plastic sheeting created from a similar pellet material. The shift to creating plastic pellets is what Zakes called a “game-changer” for the company as it allows them to become a supplier to other businesses that will create products from the recycled raw material. Terracycle said the program which they refer to as the Cigarette Waste Brigade, is free to participate in and will help to divert cigarette butts from landfills. Those who wish to participate and are over the age of 21 can sign up on the company’s website at www.Terracycle.com. Once they have signed up and created an account to be a part of the Cigarette Waste Brigade, they can collect butts from ashtrays and ash receptacles, place them into a plastic bag, which also will be recycled, and place the collected waste into a shipping box. After enough waste has been collected participants can sign into their account and print a prepaid UPS shipping label to return their box. Once the box is received, and the contents weighed, participants will earn credits that will be donated to Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit community action and education organization. According to Terracycle the credits break down to about $1.00 per pound, which equates to about 1000 cigarette butts. “This is one of the most exciting developments in Terracycle’s history,” Szaky says. “As a company committed to recycling waste streams that others deem worthless or unsavory, cigarette waste will help to promote our belief that everything can and should be recycled” In addition to recycling cigarette waste, the company said it is working on transforming other harder-to-recycle items like diapers and chewing gum. With the partnership with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company has just launched in the United States Cigarette Waste Brigade, the company has also launched the program in Spain, Germany and Canada and said they’re working on further worldwide expansion.

SANTA FE, N.M. (Nov. 16, 11:50 a.m. ET) -- Hold on to your butts … cigarette, that is. New Mexico-based Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., the nation’s second-largest cigarette maker, and TerraCycle Inc. are partnering to recycle cigarette butts into pellets used to make such items as park benches, shipping pallets and railroad ties. The Cigarette Waste Brigade is asking people to save and collect their butts, sending them to the recycling company through a prepaid shipping label. For every pound of cigarette waste sent to Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle, the sender will receive 100 TerraCycle points, which can be redeemed for a variety of charitable gifts, or for a payment of 1 cent per point to the charity of their choice, according to TerraCycle’s website. The company will recycle the filters into pellets used to make a number of items, including ashtrays. The paper and tobacco also will be composted. It took nearly two years to develop the process to recycle the butts, made of paper, tobacco, ash and a filter from cellulose acetate. Cigarette refuse accounted for 38 percent of all U.S. roadway litter, according to a 2009 study conducted by nonprofit Keep America Beautiful.

According to Keep America Beautiful (KAB), 65% of all cigarette butts are disposed of improperly. But thanks to another environmental breakthrough by TerraCycle, cigarette litter can now be recycled. With funding from Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. (SFNTC), TerraCycle is launching a national program to collect and recycle cigarette waste. The Cigarette Waste Brigade will divert used cigarette butts from landfills. By sponsoring this program, SFNTC is not only taking responsibility for the end-life of its products, but also for the products of its competitors. “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, the head of sales and marketing for SFNTC. “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 over 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. “This is one of the most exciting developments in TerraCycle’s history,” Szaky said. “As a company committed to recycling waste streams that others deem worthless or unsavoury, cigarette waste will help to promote our belief that everything can and should be recycled!” How does it work? It’s easy and free to participate in the Cigarette Waste Brigade. Interested individuals can visit www.terracycle.com to sign up for the Brigade. Filters can be collected normally in receptacles, such as ashtrays. Collectors then bag the waste in any plastic bag—which gets recycled as well—before being placed in a shipping box. Once enough waste is collected, collectors log into their account and print a free prepaid UPS shipping label to return their box at no cost. TerraCycle has already kept more than two billion pieces of food and beverage packaging and other waste from going to the landfill, and with its partners, dispersed more than $3.5 million to charity through its various Brigade programs. This newest Brigade program joins over 50 others currently available. TerraCycle is currently creating solutions for other difficult to recycle, but widely discarded, waste streams such as disposable diapers and used chewing gum.

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.

I'm a big fan of Terracycle - if you haven't yet heard about them, go check out their website. Recently they launched Cigarette Butt Collection & Recycling Programs in the US and Canada and I've seen some chatter as to whether or not this is a good idea. SERIOUSLY?... Does anyone think it's not a good idea to clean up these cigarette butts that are littering and polluting our streets, parks, and stairwells?  The argument that providing a solution for cigarette butt waste encourages smoking is insane but not original. As a doctor and a mom, I am very anti-smoking. I'm often warning smokers of the dangers their smoking poses to the health of themselves and their family. I also warn against unprotected sex with multiple partners, while at the same time supporting free condoms and HPV vaccines. I encourage obese patients with high cholesterol to exercise and lose weight, yet that doesn't stop me from prescribing cholesterol-lowering medication. I tell patients with external ear infections to stop using cotton-buds to clean their ears (an unnecessary and dangerous habit), yet I still give them antibiotic ear drops. So if, after counselling patients on smoking cessation, I can leave my clinic and pick up the hundreds of cigarette butts littering the stairwell (illegally), the sidewalk and the streets and have a great program to send them to;  that makes me a holistic healer, not a hypocrite. You can read details about Terracycle's program on their brigade page, but the basics are that you collect cigarette butts, send them to terracycle, earn money for your charity and know that the butts are being safely processed and recycled into new products.

TerraCycle Inc. has created the Cigarette Waste Brigade, asking people to send their butts so they can be recycled into pellets used to make items such as park benches, shipping pallets and railroad ties. Hold on to your butts … cigarette, that is. New Mexico-based Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., the nation's second-largest cigarette maker, and TerraCycle Inc. are partnering to recycle cigarette butts into pellets used to make such items as park benches, shipping pallets and railroad ties. The Cigarette Waste Brigade is asking people to save and collect their butts, sending them to the recycling company through a prepaid shipping label. For every pound of cigarette waste sent to Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle, the sender will receive 100 TerraCycle points, which can be redeemed for a variety of charitable gifts, or for a payment of 1 cent per point to the charity of their choice, according to TerraCycle's website. The company will recycle the filters into pellets used to make a number of items, including ashtrays. The paper and tobacco also will be composted. It took nearly two years to develop the process to recycle the butts, made of paper, tobacco, ash and a filter from cellulose acetate. Cigarette refuse accounted for 38% of all U.S. roadway litter, according to a 2009 study conducted by nonprofit Keep America Beautiful.

After a long two years of planning and tweaking, TerraCycle, the recognized leader in upcycling items that previously were considered non-recyclable, is now accepting used cigarette butts for its latest Brigade. This amazing project was the brainchild of TC’s founder Tom Szaky. Admittedly, many thought it was a bit harebrained but the company pursued the idea and has now launched the campaign. It’s yet another amazingly useful and easy way for consumers to help eliminate the variety of waste and trash that all too often ends up either in landfills or blowing across our streets and yards. So, if you’re a smoker or know someone who is, take a look at getting involved in this program. It’s a great way to earn money for your favorite charity and help keep the air cleaner for everyone.

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in America and make up 38% of all trash on U.S. roadways, according to Keep America Beautiful. Annually, worldwide cigarette butt litter amounts to 1.69 billion pounds. TerraCycle Inc., a company devoted to creating recycling systems for hard-to-recycle waste, has teamed up with Sante Fe Natural Tobacco Co. to create an alternative to leaving cigarette butts on roadways or putting them into landfills. The tobacco company will sponsor TerraCycle's Cigarette Waste Brigade, which will allow individuals and groups to collect cigarette waste, print a prepaid shipping label and then mail the cigarettes to TerraCycle, where they will be turned into new products such as shipping pallets, railroad ties, plastic lumber and ash trays. TerraCycle's mission is to solve waste issues and eliminate the idea of waste, and cigarettes have been on their list of items to tackle for a long time. They believe that to solve waste problems, less desirable forms of waste such as cigarettes need to be dealt with, too. "We started out doing a lot of consumer packaging and we really wanted to take on some more serious issues. There is no more serious of an environmental issue when it comes to litter and waste than cigarette butts," Albe Zakes, Global VP of Media Relations for TerraCycle, told Earth911. The program is aimed to target cigarette waste in two ways. First, it will take aim at cigarette waste that has already been littered by working with anti-litter groups and beach clean-up efforts, since those people are already collecting trash and disposing of it in landfills. Second, the program will work with larger facilities like shopping malls, office parks, bars and other places where cigarettes are consumed in large numbers and responsibly discarded, Zakes explained. "Because of how many cigarettes are consumed and because of the rate of consumption, we do expect this to be a very, very impactful and patroned program." Zakes said. "The goal is to collect hundreds of millions of butts, if not more. We want to make a dent. Unless you're collecting hundreds of millions of butts, you're not making a dent." Those age 21 or older who are interested in getting involved can visit TerraCycle's website to sign up for the brigad

RICHMOND, Va. — A subsidiary of the nation's second-largest cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. is funding a national recycling program to reward do-gooders for cleaning up tobacco waste and turn cigarette butts into pellets used to make items such as plastic shipping pallets, railroad ties and park benches. New Mexico-based Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes, is teaming up with TerraCycle Inc. for the program.

A subsidiary of the nation's second-largest cigarette maker Reynolds American Inc. is funding a national recycling program to reward do-gooders for cleaning up tobacco waste and turn cigarette butts into pellets used to make items such as plastic shipping pallets, railroad ties and park benches. New Mexico-based Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., the maker of Natural American Spirit cigarettes, is teaming up with TerraCycle Inc. for the program. It aims to snuff out one of the most littered items in the U.S. that yields about 135 million pounds of cigarette butts annually that get tossed on roadways, thrown in the trash or put in public ashtrays.