Transcript and Answers: Recycling company stubs out cigarette garbage

Smokers get to enjoy their cigarettes, but leave their butts littering streets and sidewalks everywhere. But finally, someone's found use for them. Terracycle turns used cigarettes into plastic. Most cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, which Terracycle blends with other recycled plastics to make everything from lumber, to industrial pallets. 
"These feel and look just like regular plastic pallets. There's a slight smell of tobacco that is associated with the plastic, but it's a smell that can be masked if necessary." 
Terracycle's mission is to take the toughest trash and turn it into something useful, and profitable. Many of its products are "upcycled," and retain some of their original traits -- items like eyeglass chandeliers and skirts made from packaging. The company's headquarters even uses trash as low-budget decor. 
"I have this very weird tendency that when I go around the world, like when I land in a city, the first thing I do is look in the garbage can. Because that's my opportunity: Anything that goes to waste."
 And there's no shortage of opportunities with cigarettes. Trillions are smoked every year. Terracycle takes the cigarette butts, composts their organic components and radiates the rest. It's a process the company says is no more energy-intensive than traditional recycling. Though less than a year old, the program is already a hit with tobacco companies and green groups who provide support. 
 "Not only was there huge response from individuals, businesses but especially NGOs. In Canada, one-third of all the cigarettes we've collected have come from groups like the World Wildlife Fund, from Ocean Conservancy, from all these places that do cleanup projects and instead of throwing the cigarettes they collect out, they now send them to us to be recycled." 
Szaky says the company turns a modest profit. They're not getting rich off cigarettes.  Terracycle, now plans to tackle more of the world's most notorious trash, from dirty diapers to chewing gum. 

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