As an extension of our annual Butt Blitz Program, launched with A Greener Future, the Community Cigarette Butt Recycling Program aims to provide long-term recycling opportunities for cigarette waste.
Click Here to Sign Up for Our Community Cigarette Butt Recycling Program
This pilot program will prevent cigarette litter from entering the environment by working with individuals who smoke cigarettes, businesses that collect cigarette waste in receptacles, and removing litter from the environment through volunteer cleanups.
Why Get Involved:
Cigarette butts account for 1 in 5 pieces of litter found at shoreline cleanups and this type of litter remains prevalent in many communities or environments year-round. We hope to prevent future littering by raising awareness and educating communities about the negative impacts that cigarette butt litter has on ecosystems and health.
By collecting more cigarette butts at the point or source, we are able to drastically reduce the number that will be littered or sent to the landfill - reducing this impact significantly improves the health and safety of our local urban landscape, habitats, and water systems.
In London, much of our litter ends up in the Thames River through natural rain events and runoff. With cigarette butts containing several toxic chemicals and plastics, it should be a priority to keep these out of our water systems.
The best reason to get involved in this program is because all of the collected cigarette butt waste will be sent to Terracycle Canada, where it is recycled into a repurposed product that can be reused for a second material life.
How to Get Involved:
We are looking for active community members or businesses in London + the surrounding area to request a storage bucket from us that will be the drop-off or collection point for cigarette butts.
These buckets are intended to be used in place of other collection methods, and can be easily emptied by one of our staff members upon request.
If you know someone who smokes, or a business who is looking to reduce their environmental impact - sign up for our Community Cigarette Butt Recycling Program today!
Through this program, hosted by A Greener Future, we hope to significantly reduce the cigarette litter entering our urban environment and local waterways over time.
London is among the first 8 Ontario cities to take part in this innovative program, along with the following:
- Belleville
- Markham
- Ottawa
- Port Hope
- Niagara-on-the-lake
- Niagara Falls
- St. Catharines
Questions? Please reach out to Cole Taylor, Green Infrastructure Program Lead ([email protected])