On November 14, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful reminded Pennsylvanians America Recycles Day, a program of Keep America Beautiful, is held on and around November 15 to educate and encourage individuals to be more mindful of what they consume, where and how to properly recycle and to pledge to recycle more and recycle right in their everyday lives. 

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is partnering with the Department of Transportation to implement the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) at 14 state welcome centers in 2022-2023.

The program hopes to raise awareness to travelers about the issue of proper cigarette butt disposal using messaging and marketing campaigns and placing ash receptacles at entrances to rest stop buildings.

The effectiveness of the program will be measured by comparing a pre and post program scan or physical count of cigarette butts and other tobacco products. 

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has a partnership with Terracylce to expand the program to include recycling and composting of the cigarette butt waste.

Cigarettes collected through CLPP are shipped to Terracycle where the various materials that make up a cigarette are separated and processed.

The filters are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled industrial products, such as plastic pallets. The residual tobacco and paper are separated out and composted in a specialized process.

“We’re shining a light on this program for America Recycles Day to emphasize that even the smallest pieces of litter, like a cigarette butt, when disposed of responsibly can make a huge difference. Not only can we reduce the amount of cigarette and tobacco products that are littered, but the collected butts can be recycled into something useful,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “We are honored to partner with PennDOT to assure our welcome centers are clean and beautiful for visitors and residents alike and we’re grateful to Keep America Beautiful for the funding that allows us to continue to invest in this highly effective program.”

According to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s 2019 Pennsylvania Litter Research Study, over 500 million pieces of litter were found on Pennsylvania’s roadways. Of the total estimated litter, 186.2 million or 37.1 percent were cigarette butts. 

Cigarette butts that are thrown on the ground can contaminate soil and ground water with chemicals and heavy metals; fatally impact birds, animals and marine life who often mistake them for food; and the filters, made of cellulose acetate, never fully disappear from the environment.

In support of America Recycles Day, all Pennsylvanian’s are encouraged to take the #BeRecycled pledge and promise to actively choose to live a recycled lifestyle by recycling at home, work, school and on the go; buying products made with recycled content; and educating and encouraging friends, family, and neighbors to take the #BeRecycled pledge.

To find out more about cigarette litter, visit KPB’s  Cigarette Litter Prevention Program webpage or contact Michelle Dunn, Program Coordinator, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

The 2022 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative will be held until November 30.  Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.

NewsClips:

-- Warren Times: ‘Warren Hooligans’ Again Do Their Part In Roadside Cleanup Effort

-- ABC6: Meet The ‘Litter Lifters,’ A Team Keeping Streets Clean In Chester County

-- StateImpactPA/Inside Climate News: Microplastics Pervade Even Top-Quality Streams In PA, Study Finds

-- Warren Times: Warren County To Shut Down Remaining Recycling Sites

Related Article:

-- PA Resources Council Collects 383,175 Pounds Of Household Chemicals In 20th Season  [PaEN]

-- Master Watershed Stewards Help Purge Plastics On The Lower Susquehanna River  [PaEN]

-- EPA Accepting Proposals For $100 Million In Recycling Infrastructure, Education Grants Funded By Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

[Posted: November 14, 2022]

11/21/2022