City of Kingston installs 20 cigarette waste recycling receptacles
Kingston Transit users and those who frequent the downtown core might notice some new cigarette butt receptacles have been installed along their regular routes.
And while they may look like any ordinary cigarette butt disposal bins, these receptacles are actually just the first step in a bigger process – and one that diverts the waste of spent cigarettes from landfills entirely.
On Tuesday, Apr. 2, 2019, the City of Kingston installed 20 new cigarette butt recycling receptacles throughout the downtown core. Designed by Terracycle, the cigarette disposal receptacles collect cigarette butts, which are then sent to Terracycle to be recycled – the remaining tobacco is composted, and the cigarette butts themselves are recycled into a variety of industrial products, such as plastic pellets. The receptacles have been installed at transit hubs, certain Kingston Transit Express Route stops, and common downtown gathering places.
“We are working to keep the downtown and transit hubs clean. This is about encouraging people to dispose of cigarette butts in a tidy and environmentally friendly way,” said Troy Stubinski, manager of public works operations for the City of Kingston.
According to Sarah Withrow, communications officer with the City of Kingston, after purchasing the receptacles at $100 per unit, there will be no cost to the City to have the cigarette butts recycled.
“Receptacles will be collected by staff on existing trash collection routes. Aside from the $100 per unit to purchase the receptacles, there is no cost to the program,” she said.
To find out more about how Terracycle’s cigarette waste recycling program works, click here.
They will be broken into immediately by people seeking butts. We installed one outside my work and it was broken in right away. The lock was gone so we still used it and let scroungers get what they want. One day it was ripped off the wall and gone. We did not put up another one. It’s a good idea but…
So glad to hear this news! As a tourist city, it was getting a bit embarrassing to see our streets littered with cigarette butts. I really hope that there are more of the receptacles added to the downtown core especially outside of bars & restaurants and the Leon Center.
Great addition to our city!
Thank you so very much!
Waste of time and money. Smokers don’t use the “Butt cans” now. Why would they use this?
I don’t understand why we still tolerate smoking in public in 2019. If I walked around with a flask of acetone wafting the vapours at people I’d be arrested for assault. Why is cigarette smoke any different? We need to treat smokers for their addition in a humane manner, but we shouldn’t be making special accommodations for their illness.
The City of Kingston should focus more on keeping the streets clean of wrappers and Tim Hortons coffee cups, rather then coming up with these ideas. Does this BrainChild make a crazy wage ? The money would be better spent on the homeless.
Does the City actually think before they waste this money on silly projects like this ?
How are the butt boxes working out? I think they’re a great idea and will likely collect some butts in my neighbourhood and add them to the box to be recycled.