Earlier this year, New Mexico-based Santa Fe Natural Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc., the nation's second-largest cigarette maker, and TerraCycle Inc. announced a partnership to recycle cigarette butts into pellets used to make such items as park benches, shipping pallets and railroad ties. The Cigarette Waste Brigade asks 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 plans to 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, the company said. "This is one of the most exciting developments in TerraCycle's history," said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle's founder, in a statement when the program was launched. "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." Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky is sponsoring the bill on the Senate side. "This should really be done at a higher level than the state level," DenDekker said about the recycling program. "But nobody in the federal government would even consider talking about a topic like this until some municipality somewhere institutes a pilot program that works, creates jobs and saves government money."

Cigarette waste can be found on most roadways and is very common in public places such as the beach or park. We have become immune to seeing cigarette butts on the ground and most people probably haven’t thought about recycling as an option for them. A new partnership with TerraCycle now makes recycling cigarette waste an option. TerraCycle collects discarded cigarettes that people mail to them through their Cigarette Waste Brigade and turns the filters into industrial products such as shipping pallets and plastic lumber. Some may question the safety of the products produced with recycled cigarette filters. There is no need to worry. To be on the safe side, TerraCycle never uses recycled cigarette filters in any consumer products that might come into contact with food or other consumables. All filters find their way into new industrial products. TerraCycle’s goal is to reduce the amount of cigarette waste we see every day. Recycling this material will make a significant impact when it comes to reducing waste. By creating new products, such as pallets, from cigarette filters reduces both the amount of waste in landfills and the quantity of virgin materials needed to make new products.

TerraCycle is a company founded around ten years ago by a freshman at Princeton. Tom Szaky’s idea was to revolutionize how we think about waste…by eliminating it. TerraCycle began by producing organic fertilizer, packaging liquid worm poop in used soda bottles. Since then TerraCycle has grown into one of the fastest-growing green companies in the world. They create national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. TerraCycle converts the collected waste into a wide variety of products and materials. With more than 20 million people collecting waste in over 20 countries TerraCycle has diverted billions of units of waste and used them to create over 1,500 different products available at major retailers ranging from Walmart to Whole Foods Market. They take stuff like toothbrushes, chip bags, and drink pouches and make them into cool new eco-friendly products. For example, drink pouches can be everything from fences to purses and pencil cases. Want to get involved? You or your organization can sign up to be part of a Brigade, and start sending them waste. Not only do you help the environment, you can also earn points to get gifts or even a monetary contribution for your non-profit group.

We don’t have a beverage container deposit to encourage recycling in South Carolina, but for me, recycling has become a way of life. One motivating factor for me to recycle is the fact that I don’t want a landfill in my backyard. Every item I recycle is one less item taking up space in a landfill. Another motivating factor is conservation of natural resources. By recycling plastics, we use less petroleum which is a nonrenewable resource. Recycling also protects human and environmental health by keeping toxic substances out of the waste stream. I can’t help it; protecting our natural resources is something I am passionate about, which is why I am so excited about some things going on at Moore Intermediate School. Students, faculty and staff are participating in South Carolina Green Steps Schools, an environmental education and action initiative that recognizes schools in South Carolina that take annual sustainable steps toward becoming more environmentally responsible.One of their projects involves the collection of traditionally non-recyclable juice pouches which are sent to TerraCycle and converted into other products. By participating in program, students are learning, waste is being reduced, and the school receives 2 cents per juice pouch.

The new drinks have 100% vitamin C, only has 40 calories per pouch and still has half the sugar than the leading kids’ drinks. I love the new packaging that is so easy to travel with and has really great kid-friendly messaging which includes sustainable farming, organics and TerraCycle partnership. What is TerraCycle? A program that upcycles and recycles traditionally non-recycable waste (including drink pouches, chip bags, tooth brushes and many more) into a large variety of consumer products.  See what I mean? Honest Tea is definitely standing behind their message for social responsibility and commitment to great products for a brighter future.

Doing good TerraCycle is a worldwide company based in Trenton. They create national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. Anyone can sign up for these programs, called the Brigades. Visit www.terracycle.com for more information.

Esta firma reafirma el compromiso del consistorio de Alcalá con el medio ambiente. Mediante este convenio se instalarán cajas especiales para recoger desechos en los edificios municipales.Esto tiene como objetivo la recuperación y el reciclaje de elementos de escritura, rotos o en desuso, contribuyendo igualmente con las asociaciones sin ánimo de lucro.

A subsidiary of the nation's second largest cigarette make 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

Trenton company at forefront in recycling of trash stream scourge

El Ayuntamiento de Alcalá promueve la contribución a la protección del medio ambiente a través de la firma de un convenio de colaboración con Terracycle  España, que tiene como objetivo la recuperación y el reciclaje de elementos de escritura, rotos o en desuso, contribuyendo igualmente con las asociaciones sin ánimo de lucro.