The City of Vancouver has launched the world’s first cigarette butt recycling program.
The Cigarette Waste Brigade pilot project started Tuesday with the installation of 110 metal recycling receptacles in downtown Vancouver.
The boxes were placed in four strategic locations where it was deemed cigarette litter is a problem: downtown, Gastown, the West End and Robson Street.
Mayor Gregor Robertson said the program will help the city reach its goal of being North America’s greenest by 2020.
“Cigarette butts are a real source of litter, and this innovative pilot project…will help keep toxic butts off our streets and out of the landfill,” he said.
The pilot program is funded by TerraCycle. The company will supply the receptacles, cover the costs for installing and emptying them – and collect the butts.
The recycled butts are melted down into plastic pellets, which can then be used in shipping skids, plastic lumber or plastic decking.
The project will provide employment through two inner-city charities: United We Can and EMBERS.
TerraCycle’s Nina Purewal says cigarette waste is the most littered item across the globe.
Cigarette filters aren’t biodegradable. They’re made from cellulose acetate, which breaks down slowly in the environment, but never loses its toxicity and can end up in the aquatic food chain.
