According to Keep America Beautiful, 65 percent of all cigarette butts are disposed of improperly and cigarette waste accounts for 38 percent of all U.S. roadway litter. But Gail Wedding from Laytonville and Russell Minor from Potter Valley are doing their part to keep their cigarette waste out of the local landfill by sending it to recycling pioneer TerraCycle. Russell Minor collects his cigarette butts at home and stores them in an old "oil rag" can until it is time to send them to TerraCycle.  To spread the word, he shows his friends how easy it is to collect at home. "I feel the more people divert from landfills, the better off our planet will be," said Minor. "It's important that as much waste as possible gets diverted from the landfills into a new life as something useful." Cigarette butts are not biodegradable and do not break down quickly.  They, 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. The Cigarette Waste Brigade accepts extinguished cigarettes, cigarette filters, loose tobacco pouches, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper, and ash. TerraCycle does not accept the cardboard packaging of cigarette boxes since they can usually be recycled through municipal recycling programs. Visit www.terracycle.com to learn more about TerraCycle or sign up for the Cigarette Waste Brigade.

Russell Minor collects his cigarette butts at home and stores them in an old "oil rag" can until it is time to send them to TerraCycle.  To spread the word, he shows his friends how easy it is to collect at home. "I feel the more people divert from landfills, the better off our planet will be," said Minor. "It's important that as much waste as possible gets diverted from the landfills into a new life as something useful." This recycling program is a joint effort between Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. and TerraCycle, which teamed up to create The Cigarette Waste Brigade, a national program to collect and recycle cigarette butts and other cigarette-related waste, according to Jeff Kranz of TerraCycle. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable and do not break down quickly.  They, 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. The Cigarette Waste Brigade accepts extinguished cigarettes, cigarette filters, loose tobacco pouches, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper, and ash. TerraCycle does not accept the cardboard packaging of cigarette boxes since they can usually be recycled through municipal recycling programs. Visit www.terracycle.com to learn more about TerraCycle or sign up for the Cigarette Waste Brigade.  

What you can do with cigarette butts Maybe you smoke or maybe you don’t; perhaps you know someone who does. Naturally, quitting would be the best thing any smoker can do, but one of the next best things is to recycle your butts.  Yes, cigarette butts can be useful and can be recycled, according to Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, Inc., a company that has developed solutions for difficult-to-recycle items, including cigarette butts. TerraCycle has teamed up with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, which sponsors the Cigarette Waste Brigade®. In a New York Times article from April 2012, Szaky explained that the ash, paper, and tobacco are separated from the filters and the organic materials are composted. The remaining cellulose acetate is sanitized and molded via injection into plastics that are used to make plastic pallets and beams. Albe Zakes, VP of Media Relations for TerraCycle, said in a phone interview that efforts to recycle cigarette butts extend beyond US shores. TerraCycle currently also partners with Imperial Tobacco in Canada and soon will have a program in Europe a well. Individuals and groups who are interested in helping clean up the environment of unhealthy cigarette butts and getting them recycled can sign up for TerraCycle’s Cigarette Waste Brigade (or check out other waste brigades). It costs nothing to sign up and nothing to ship the butts, and you could help make a difference in the health of the planet.

According to Keep America Beautiful, 65 percent of all cigarette butts are disposed of improperly and cigarette waste accounts for 38 percent of all U.S. roadway litter. But Gail Wedding from Laytonville and Russell Minor from Potter Valley are doing their part to keep their cigarette waste out of the local landfill by sending it to recycling pioneer TerraCycle. This recycling program is a joint effort between Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. and TerraCycle, which teamed up to create The Cigarette Waste Brigade, a national program to collect and recycle cigarette butts and other cigarette-related waste, according to Jeff Kranz of TerraCycle. Participation in this nationwide Brigade is limited to adults, aged 21 and older.  It is free, and all shipping costs are paid by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company.  For every pound of cigarette waste TerraCycle receives, one dollar is donated to Keep America Beautiful. The collected cigarette butts are recycled into a variety of products, primarily plastic pallets for industrial uses. Any remaining tobacco or paper is composted. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable and do not break down quickly.  They, 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. The Cigarette Waste Brigade accepts extinguished cigarettes, cigarette filters, loose tobacco pouches, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper, and ash. TerraCycle does not accept the cardboard packaging of cigarette boxes since they can usually be recycled through municipal recycling programs.

It’s common knowledge that smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of lung cancer, that secondhand smoke is a health hazard, and that cigarette use is linked to dozens of other diseases and illnesses. But there is at least one good thing about cigarette butts: they can be recycled into useful products. Don’t cigarette butts disintegrate? Although any cigarette paper and tobacco that are tossed away break down, the butts themselves are not biodegradable, and they stick around for a long time. That’s because 95 percent of cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, made into super thin fibers to create a filter. Yes, cigarette butts can be useful and can be recycled, according to Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, Inc., a company that has developed solutions for difficult-to-recycle items, including cigarette butts. TerraCycle has teamed up with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco, which sponsors the Cigarette Waste Brigade®. In a New York Times article from April 2012, Szaky explained that the ash, paper, and tobacco are separated from the filters and the organic materials are composted. The remaining cellulose acetate is sanitized and molded via injection into plastics that are used to make plastic pallets and beams.

El fin de curso ya está aquí y es hora de organizar el material escolar utilizado durante el curso antes de que se convierta en una montaña más de residuos en nuestros hogares. Esta tarea es especialmente costosa en cursos inferiores de infantil y primaria, donde cuadernos y libros se mezclan con carpetas de trabajos, folios y material de escritura, pintura, etc. Una revisión a fondo del material es básica para decidir qué artículos nos pueden servir para el nuevo curso y cuales debemos desechar. Hemos recopilado algunos consejos no sólo para reutilizar el material sino también para, en el caso de tener que deshacernos de él, realizarlo con la máxima seguridad de que lo hacemos bien.

Bear Naked Natural Soft-Baked Granola Cookies are available inFruit & Nut and Double Chocolate 100% Pure and Natural Soft-Baked Granola Cookies Bear Naked soft-baked granola cookies are loaded with the nutrition mother nature provides. These cookies are chock-full of good stuff like whole grains, tasty berries, and hearty nuts. It’s a recipe for incredible flavor and a natural energy that lifts your spirits–so you can enjoy the adventure in every day. Double Chocolate Cookies A delicious blend of whole grain oats, a double dose of chocolate from semi-sweet chocolate chips and cocoa, plus an added crunch from walnuts and almonds. Made with real whole grain oats, hearty nuts, and luscious fruit 100% pure and natural ingredients you can actually recognize and pronounce 10 grams whole grain per serving NO artificial flavors or preservatives NO cholesterol or hydrogenated oils; 0 grams trans fat NO high fructose corn syrup Vegetarian Friendly Bear Naked Sustainable Packaging Project Bear Naked is partnering with TerraCycle to help reduce the number of bags that end up in landfills by collecting them from you and repurposing them into unique accessories and products like umbrellas, shower curtains and tote bags. You Can Help When your Bear Naked bag is empty you can choose from two recycling options: Mail your empty bags directly to Bear Naked for gear: Each Bear Naked bag you save and mail in is worth a certain number of points depending on size, and you can use those points to get cool gear items like T-shirts and reusable grocery bags. Download Gear For Bags Form Set-up or join your own brigade through TerraCycle and earn cash for your school or organization. You collect the bags and send them directly into TerraCycle. Bear Naked will upcycle the waste and turn them into cool products and your selected organization will receive $.02 per bag. Learn More 4.6 / out of 5based on 15 ratings Pack of six, 8.5-ounce bags of Bear Naked Soft Baked Granola Cookies, Double Chocolate No cholesterol, hydrogenated oils, or trans fat No artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors; No high fructose corn syrup All natural; minimally processed; vegetarian friendly  

The Argus - TC, Activia - 22 June 2013