July 19 HOW TO RECYCLE CIGARETTE BUTTS?
Smoking does not only have an impact on our health, it is also harmful to the environment. Every year 23 billion butts are thrown away and end up on public roads or in nature. However, a discarded cigarette butt takes several years to biodegrade: approximately 12 years. In cause the main component of the filter, cellulose acetate, which takes 10 years to degrade when the rest of the cigarette needs 1 to 3 years. Additionally, it contains hundreds of harmful and carcinogenic substancess that can pollute air, water and soil and can be ingested by animals.
Even if they are picked up on the public highway, the chemicals and plastic residues from cigarette butts have already contaminated the environment. If they are not collected, they often end up in sewers and then in rivers and oceans. It's the 1er ocean polluter : a single cigarette butt can pollute up to 500L of water !
To fight against this pollution and take charge of this toxic waste from the outset, the anti-waste law for a circular economy of 2020 has created a sector REP (extended producer responsibility) for the management of cigarette butts in public spaces. Tobacco producers must now finance their end of life and bear the cost of collection and cleaning. A eco-organization approved (Alcome) is responsible for collecting the eco-contributions from producers and organizing the sector.
Takagreen has identified suppliers who offer accessible, innovative, fun solutions aimed at smokers to encourage them to change their habits. The first action is awareness. Some players also offer solutions for clean up this waste and give him a second life.
Several recycling processes exist:
- The first method consists in separating the filter in order to clean up toxic substances, then converting the cellulose acetate obtained into recycled plastic material. Indeed the filter fiber has interesting technical characteristics and once treated and depolluted it becomes a usable raw material. New objects can be crafted, such as ashtrays or furniture for urban development.
- Another method of recycling is to incinerate cigarette butts to turn them into energy, thanks to the water vapor released by the heat.
Collection and recycling companies:
– Secure collection solution, ecological depollution without water and recycling: The company Tchaomegot transforms the filter into thermal insulation for textiles (down jackets) and buildings
– Complete solutions for raising awareness, collection, recycling, recovery: Ecomegot ; Greeminded
– Collection and recycling solution: MeGo!
Smoking area management company:
– Markings and equipment to act against the dispersal of cigarette butts and facilitate collection: Treeclopes by Treebox, Cyclops
– Survey ashtray to encourage smokers not to throw cigarette butts on the ground: Cypao
Help reduce the number of cigarette butts on the ground and recycle them to preserve public health and the planet! Find all the suppliers of eco-responsible solutions on the site Takagreen.