New recycling initiative will target cigarette butts
Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - 10:49:24
Cigarette butts are a common sight on the streets of towns and cities. And even if they do end up disposed of in an appropriate receptacle or collected by cleaners, they generally end up in landfill sites, which is not the most sustainable method of dealing with this type of waste.
Now a new way to deal with waste generated by smoking has been uncovered, which is all the more important because the filters are not actually biodegradable.
Spearheaded by TerraCycle and assisted by anti-litter campaigners, the Cigarette Waste Brigade is a scheme that aims to increase the amount of cigarette butts and other smoking-related detritus that is collected and recycled.
Some parts of the waste, including the remaining paper elements of a used cigarette as well as unsmoked tobacco, can be composted along with other degradable materials. The filters, on the other hand, can actually be turned into plastic products and can, in fact, create things like pallets for use in logistics and delivery.
Even other elements of cigarette waste can be dealt with under the scheme, including the foil parts of the packaging and the plastic wrapping which generally covers the exterior of unopened boxes.
The scheme makes it possible to send these items for recycling via post, with teams of waste collectors being sent labels that let them ship the materials they amass, without having to pay for the privilege.
TerraCycle itself is a company dedicated to dealing with waste materials which are generally considered to be difficult to dispose of in a sustainable manner. And cigarette butts are a lingering issue for the UK in general, not only because of the widespread littering that results from smoking but also because they have previously been tough to recycle, which should all change thanks to this scheme.
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