Location: Atrium on Bay
Date photo taken: 29 January 2020
It always makes me mad when I see smokers casually toss away their spent cigarettes. What makes it okay to toss a butt when you wouldn't treat an empty coffee cup the same way? I get that they're small, and that many people think they degrade quickly (they don't), and with a burning end you can't exactly stick it in your pocket. And of course there are those for whom a a coffee cup is the same as a butt, but it can't be everyone or else we'd be drowning in trash. The City of Toronto lists cigarette butts as one of the top litter items in the city and notes they are particularly problematic because they contain toxic chemicals. Some reports indicate that cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world. Businesses and organizations that want to be part of the solution can order these cigarette waste receptacles from TerraCycle and encourage their use. While the boxes are $100 each and facilitate collection, any individual or organization can take part in the UNSMOKE recycling program for free. They just need to collect up their cigarette waste - all parts of extinguished cigarettes, cigarette filters, cigar stubs, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper and ash are accepted - request a prepaid mailing label, and call UPS for a pick-up. Participants even receive TerraCycle points per pound of material collected. Points can then be redeemed for cash payments to the non-profit organization or school of their choice or toward a selection of environmentally and socially-minded charitable gifts. Butts collected are shredded and separated into plastics, papers, and organics which are then recycled.
No comments:
Post a Comment