Every year, cigarette butts end up in dumpsters and landfills, or they are tossed as litter on shorelines, parks, and
sidewalks across Canada. With the help of one of Canada’s largest major tobacco manufacturers, the waste collected through
the Cigarette Waste Brigade will be recycled into a variety of industrial products, such as plastic pallets, and any
remaining tobacco will be re-worked into tobacco composting.
For every pound (453.6 g) of cigarette waste that you send in to TerraCycle, you will receive 100 TerraCycle points, which can be redeemed for a variety of charitable gifts, or for a payment of $0.01 per point to the charity of your choice. Please note that shipments must contain a minimum of three pounds of cigarette waste in order to receive a TerraCycle point donation.
How to collect for the Cigarette Waste Brigade at home
Click here to learn how
It’s easy to collect cigarette waste from home, simply follow the steps below.
Continue to use your ash tray, simply empty it in an acceptable container when full.
Collect cigarette waste and dump the contents of your ash tray into a re-sealable plastic bag,
disposable plastic container, plastic shopping bag, or garbage bag. Please make sure that the cigarettes are fully
extinguished. Do not dump your cigarette waste directly into the shipping box, and do not use paper bags
or envelopes to collect your waste.
Store your collections out of the way, such as in an empty shoebox or cardboard box, until you are
ready to ship.
Ship your collections to TerraCycle by downloading a pre-paid shipping label from terracycle.ca. Affix
the pre-paid postage label and call UPS for a next business day pickup at 1 800 PICK UPS
How to collect for the Cigarette Waste Brigade at your office, restaurant, or other business
establishment.
Click here to learn how
Follow the steps below to collect cigarette waste from your office, restaurant, bar, or other business
establishment.
Continue to use your ash trays and ash receptacles, simply empty them in an acceptable container when
they are full.
Collect cigarette waste and dump the contents of your ash receptacle into a sturdy trash bag or thick
garbage liner. Please make sure that the cigarettes are fully extinguished. Do not dump your cigarette
waste directly into the shipping box, and do not use paper bags to collect your waste.
Store your collections out of the way, and remember to securely tie your garbage bags prior to
shipping.
Ship your collections to TerraCycle by downloading a pre-paid shipping label from terracycle.ca. Affix
the pre-paid postage label and call UPS for a next business day pickup at 1 800 PICK UPS.
And to make collecting all your waste that much easier, download our helpful TerraCycle "Collect, Store and Ship Guide" for some tips and tricks that will make the collection process simple and mess-free. Also check out our Cigarette Waste Brigade Poster to help promote your collection efforts.
Check out the image below to see some examples of the types of waste that are accepted through this Brigade program. You can also download this as a poster.
Cigarette Waste Brigade accepted waste:
All parts of extinguished cigarettes
Cigarette filters
Cigar stubs
Outer plastic packaging
Inner foil packaging
Rolling paper
Ash
Please note: We DO NOT accept the cardboard packaging of a cigarette box. Instead, you may recycle this through your municipal recycling program.
