Recycling programs tackle problem of cigarette buttsCigarette filters are not biodegradable. They are made with a plastic that can leach their toxic chemicals into the environment.
Private companies are launching programs that not only encourage people to pick up the butts but also recycle them. Contrary to what many smokers may think, cigarette filters are not biodegradable: They are made with a plastic that can leach their toxic chemicals into the environment.
In July, TerraCycle will begin providing free UPS shipping labels — paid for by an unnamed American tobacco company — so people can mail in butts they've collected. TerraCycle will turn the butts into plastic pallets for industrial use.
Today, Eco-Tech Displays is starting a company, Cigarette Butt Litter Dream Recycling, to transform butts into products such as jewelry, vases and guitar picks. It collects the butts from hundreds of ashtrays that it has placed outside bars and restaurants in New York City, New Jersey and Chicago.
There are public efforts, too.
New York Assemblyman Michael DenDekker reintroduced a bill this year to give collectors a penny per butt, paid for by a penny deposit per cigarette. Portland, Maine, instituted a $100 fine for butt littering in March. San Francisco began collecting a penny per smoke in 2009 — a "litter abatement fee" — to pay for cigarette cleanup costs.......
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-14/cigarette-butt-recycling/55674502/1
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