Science hasn't figured out a way to recycle cigarette butts yet, but when it does, EcoTech Displays will be ready. The company, which has mounted ashtrays outside bars and restaurants around the city, collects the butts at the end of the day and keeps them in a warehouse in Staten Island, where they will sit until scientists figure out an economical way to recycle them. And New York State Assemblyman Michael DenDekker wants to help.
DenDekker has introduced bill A02147, which would make it a requirement for cigarette butts to be recycled in New York. The butts, made of a type of plastic which never really biodegrates, could be used as a type of insulation or turned into fabric for clothing. EcoTech writes that New York produces 1.5 million tons of cigarette butts every year. Spokesman Larry Dell told the Daily News, "It's our mission to make sure they don't go into the landfill and don't go into the water stream. When you see it in this form, it really gets to you what a polluting substance it is. We don't want to add to the pollution."
The bill, which has yet to be introduced, "proposes to set up collection facilities around the state for the redemption of cigarette waste. It will also establish a deposit and refund value for individual butts brought to a facility." DenDekker also said there would be a penny-per-cigarette deposit added to every pack, which at this point we wouldn't even notice.
