November 22, 2021 

In recent years, the popularity of electronic cigarettes has risen significantly, creating the current and pressing issue of finding recycling methods for generated waste, as opposed to sending it off to the landfill. TerraCycle, a business aimed at recycling non-recyclable products, has created a project to help deal with the growing issue of e-cigarette waste. Their solution, called “Smoke Free Recycling Program” is a free initiative open to anyone over the age of 19 in which they can send in or drop off their HEET sticks, VEEV devices and cartridges/pods to be recycled. The waste will be repurposed to make new products from the recycled material. “The long-term goal is really to collect and recycle as high a percentage of these products as possible,” says Tom Skazy, the CEO of TerraCycle. “With the program just launching, the collection rates will be lower as people become aware of it, so it’s first [about changing] behavior and then it’s about absolute scale of the program.” Skazy noted how the sale of e-cigarettes has multiplied around 400 per cent in the past five years, and with many deciding to make the switch from combustible cigarettes, an increase of waste product is expected. “It’s important, I think, to get ahead of it, so the culture doesn’t emerge as it has with traditional combustible cigarettes,” says Skazy. He urges companies to aid in this growing issue by attempting to reduce the amount of materials used in products or packages, along with replacing disposable packaging with something reusable and durable. It’s estimated that 15,000 tonnes of cigarette waste is generated in Canada each year, and improper disposal can kill fish, freshwater invertebrates, harm birds and plants, as well as remaining toxic for long after they are discarded.

“Thirty-seven per cent of roadway litter is combustible cigarettes,” says Skazy, adding cigarette filters are the most common form of litter. In terms of e-cigarettes, they have similar make ups to traditional cigarettes, but certain components make them “hazardous waste”. These products contain nicotine, electronic circuitry and lithium-ion batteries, meaning they can leach hazardous material into the environment. Essentially, TerraCycle’s initiative is set to begin to deal with the growing waste issue, before it gets to the extent of combustible cigarette waste. “With all kinds of waste and pollutants, we need to find a way to deal with the waste,” says Laura Campbell, Green Party candidate for Dufferin-Caledon. “I know that the waste can be highly toxic and it can be problematic for groundwater just as regular cigarette butts.” Being in the headwater’s region, maintaining clean groundwater is essential, according to Campbell. “I would encourage obviously, consumers to educate themselves, but it would also be a really good initiative for the town to educate everybody on chemical wastes from all kinds of household products including e cigarettes,” Campbell says. “It’s problematic because it’s something new that’s now adding to an already existing problem.” To start recycling e-cigarette waste and cigarette butts, visit: www.terracycle.com/en-CA/brigades/smoke-free-en-ca

TORONTO, October 19, 2021 – TerraCycle, the international recycling leader known for recycling the unrecyclable, has announced the launch of a free national recycling program to address vaporizer-related e-cigarette waste. Having pioneered a ground-breaking recycling solution for cigarette waste over a decade ago, TerraCycle has now turned its attention to the growing popularity of vaporizers and the risks the associated waste poses to the environment as litter, with the launch of the Smoke-Free Recycling Program. Through this ground-breaking initiative, consumers are invited to send in HEET Sticks, along with their flexible packaging, VEEV devices and all brands of vaporizer cartridges and pods to be recycled for free. Participation in the program is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page here and mail in the waste using a prepaid shipping label. Additionally, consumers will be able to drop off products in receptacles placed in select retail locations later this year. Once collected, the waste is repurposed to make new products from the recycled material. However, since the recycling process for vaporizer cartridges and pods is still an unknown given their complex material composition and the presence of residual nicotine, TerraCycle has committed to collecting the waste and conducting research and development trials in effort to develop an industry first recycling solution. “Through this innovative, first of its kind program, HEET Sticks, VEEV devices and all brands of vaporizer cartridges and pods and their associated packaging are now nationally recyclable through the Smoke-Free Recycling Program,” said TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky. “By taking on the growing issue of non-combustible cigarettes and introducing a full-scale R&D trial for vaporizer cartridges and pods, we are showing we are committed to doing something about this growing waste stream and leading by example.”

While cigarette-related waste is still the most common form of litter in Canada, disposable vapes and cartridges are a growing category. The launch of this new recycling program is a proactive solution to protect the environment against any plastic, hazardous, and electronic waste present in the devices. The Smoke-Free Recycling Program is open to any interested individual (19 years old and above), office, or community organization. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit www.TerraCycle.ca. About TerraCycle Canada TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 20 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine’s list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.ca.

TerraCycle has launched a free national recycling program to address vaporizer-related e-cigarette waste. Having created a recycling solution for cigarette waste over a decade ago, TerraCycle has now turned its attention to the growing popularity of vaporizers and the risks the associated waste poses to the environment as litter, with the launch of the Smoke-Free Recycling Program.

Through this initiative, consumers are invited to send in HEET Sticks, along with their flexible packaging, VEEV devices and all brands of vaporizer cartridges and pods to be recycled for free. Consumers will be able to drop off products in receptacles placed in select retail locations later this year. Once collected, the waste is repurposed to make new products from the recycled material. However, since the recycling process for vaporizer cartridges and pods is still an unknown given their complex material composition and the presence of residual nicotine, TerraCycle has committed to collecting the waste and conducting research and development trials in effort to develop a solution. While cigarette-related waste is still the most common form of litter in Canada, disposable vapes and cartridges are a growing category. The launch of this new recycling program is a proactive solution to protect the environment against any plastic, hazardous, and electronic waste present in the devices.