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Zero cigarette butt in the streets of Montreal

Last updated: Aug 4, 2022

Summary

To avoid cigarette filters polluting the environment, a not-so-expensive programme has been launched in 2016 in the city of Montreal, in partnership with the municipality, collecting and recycling more than 6 million of cigarette butts so far.

Problem

Cigarette filters are a major source of environmental pollution. Made of cellulose acetate, a kind of plastic, cigarette butts contaminate the environment when improperly disposed of, not only because they cause plastic composition, but also because, as they decompose, nicotine, the heavy metals and the other numerous chemicals present in the butts spread in the environment.

Solution

The non-for-profit organisation SAESEM (French acronym for Montreal Society for Action, Education and Environmental Awareness) has launched in Montreal since spring 2016 a Zero Cigarette Butt programme. To reduce the impact of this pollution, the programme installed ashtrays and started to recycle butts into urban furniture (e.g., benches) or other consumables. The programme has been developed thanks to a partnership with the City of Montreal, allowing to easily install the ashtrays and to implement a contract for the collection of these butts.

Outcome

The number of installed ashtrays have since reached almost 1200 ashtrays and more than 6 million of cigarette butts have been collected and recycled, reducing this pollution by the implementation of a not-so-expensive infrastructure.