From litter to lumber: Clean St. John's plans cigarette butt recycling project

They might not be as noticeable as coffee cups or plastic bags, but when it comes to trash in the city of St. John's, cigarette butts are a huge problem, according to one litter prevention group.

According to a report from the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board for 2016-17, there were an estimated 66 million cigarette butts littered around the province.

Each of those filters is made of tiny strands of plastic that pose a danger to wildlife, especially when they break down in amarine environment.

The not-for-profit organization Clean St. John's is currently working on a way to turn those numbers around and turn all those discarded butts into something useful.

The group is in the process of securing fundingto buy 25 cigarette butt recycling receptacles that would be installed downtown, in popular smoking hot spots like George Street, and busy pedestrian areas alongDuckworth Street and Water Street.

"Our goal is to see cigarette butt receptacles the same as you would see a garbage container, so people would become aware that cigarette butts are litter and they should be disposed of properly," said Karen Hickman, executive director of Clean St. John's.

The slim receptacles can be fixed to buildings or poles, and the butts would be collected once a week, dried and then sent in bulk to a company called TerraCycle in New Jersey.

"They take whatever tobacco is left in the cigarette and they use that for compost, and then the rest of the cigarette is used for plastic lumber. So plastic for park benches, things like that, as well as pallets," she told The St. John's Morning Show.

"That's sort of just as exciting as [getting] cigarettes off the ground, knowing that they could be recycled into other materials."

'Your butt would look good in this'

Hickman said there would be no cost to send the butts to TerraCycle, as the company providesprepaid shipping labels that can be used for loads up to 30 kilograms.

The target start date for the six-month pilot project is July 1. Each receptacle will be branded with the Clean St. John's logo and the slogan, "Your Butt Would Look Good in This."

Hickman said Clean St. John's has a limited budget, but if the pilot project is successful shehopes the city will take over and put money into expanding the program to other areas where butts tend to be discarded, such as bus shelters.

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