US
Oklahoma City has has a new way of dealing with the unstoppable tide of cigarette butts polluting its sidewalks and clogging its storm drains — turn them into plastic.
It’s a little more complex than that, but a number of organizations have joined forces to install 23 cigarette recycling stations on light poles in downtown Oklahoma City. The new aluminum boxes will serve as collection points for filters and other tobacco products, and the non-profit group Downtown OKC will send it all to “a private company” for recycling.
Though a city administration press release didn’t specify which company that would be, one company has been basking in attention for its program recycling used cigarettes into plastic and composting material. That company, TerraCycle, has made headlines for turning cigarette filters into feedstock for products ranging from benches to backpacks.
According to a 2009 study from Keep America Beautiful, tobacco products are the most common type of litter on U.S. roadways.