Please note:

If you or your participants do not smoke, or are under the age of 21, please visit our other recycling programs to see how you can help the environment.

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Cigarette Waste Recycling Program

Recycle cigarette waste through this program.

Participating locations: 29,983

Available locations: 4,017

Waste recycled: 204,112,884

How it works
Rewards
Resources

Recycle with support from Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company

Every year, billions of cigarette butts end up in dumpsters and landfills, or get tossed as litter on shorelines, parks, and sidewalks across the US. With funding from Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, the waste collected through this program is recycled into a variety of industrial products, such as plastic pallets, and any remaining tobacco is recycled as compost.

Thumbnail for Cigarette Waste Recycling Program

How it works

Participating is completely free and very easy. If you or your participants do not smoke, or are under the age of 21, please visit our other recycling programs to see how you can help the environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What you can recycle

Program accepted waste: Extinguished cigarettes, cigarette filters, loose tobacco pouches, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper, and ash.

Please note: We do not accept the paperboard packaging of a cigarette box. Instead, you may recycle this through your municipal recycling program.

Best practices for recycling

In order to recycle this waste stream properly, make sure the cigarettes are fully extinguished. Please do not dump your cigarette waste directly into the box you plan to ship them in. Additionally, do not use paper bags to collect your waste. Instead, collect cigarette waste using sturdy plastic containers or bags. You must also ensure that your shipment is completely dry. You cannot ship dripping packages.

Cigarette Waste Receptacles

You can order exclusive receptacles designed specifically for recycling cigarette waste in your community or at your business location.

Receptacles are perfect for standardizing cigarette recycling in small or large-scale outdoor environments. These metal receptacles can be equipped with steel bolt bands for flexible placement at your location.

Click here for more information.

What happens to your recyclables

Once collected, the cigarettes and packaging are separated by composition and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled industrial products, such as plastic pallets. The ash and tobacco are separated out and composted in a specialized process. Click here to learn more about the recycling process.

Rewards

For every pound of cigarette waste collected, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company donates $1.00 towards the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.