Could Cigarette Butts Lower Your Home Energy Use?
If the title of this news story has you curious, you’re not alone. We are too.
A London community is studying an innovative technology which may allow for the recycling of discarded cigarette butts into home insulation. The community estimates an average of 4,000 cigarette butts are dropped in the town center daily, then collected during routine street cleanings and sent to the landfill.
Susan Hall of the Harrow Council told the London Evening Standard, “Cigarette butts are unsightly and add to our landfill costs. Harrow is the second best recycler in London with a rate of 44 percent, but any cost-efficient technology that drives that rate up is worth considering.”
In the U.K., 30,000 tons of cigarette butts are landfilled each year. Photo: sxc.hu
The Harrow Council was inspired by the work of Igloo Environmental, a U.K.-based recycling company focusing on turning fiber waste streams, largely cigarette butts, into useful insulation products. The company encourages city councils to recycle the cigarette butts, citing a dramatic reduction in city expenses associated with cigarette litter and landfilling.
The idea is to divert the butts from the landfill through a sterilization and recycling process. The process removes the toxins in an industrial autoclave (typically used to clean medical equipment) sterilizing the cigarette butts. They are then broken down into their paper and fibrous material components and compacted into insulation “pillows.” The insulation pillows are used in homes to decrease energy consumption associated with heat loss.
In the U.K. alone, 30,000 tons of cigarette butts are discarded and landfilled each year from the smoking of 60 billion cigarettes, according to Igloo Environmental. The process could greatly reduce the leachate of toxins associated with rainwater runoff and landfilling, while providing a 100 percent recycled insulation product for home use.
- Igloo Environmental. http://www.iglooenvironmental.co.uk.
- Katherine Barney. London Evening Standard.(11/20/2009). How cigarette butts can save energy in homes http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23772150-how-cigarette-butts-can-save-energy-in-homes.do.
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Could Cigarette Butts Lower Your Home Energy Use? « Neil’s RSS feed blogger
posted on November 25th, 2009 at 10:20 am
[...] Earth911.com [...]
Nancy
posted on November 26th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Wow!!! It never occurred to me before that cigarette butts would be a landfill problem. It’s uplifting to see people addressing the problem and finding solutions. Thanks for the article Lori.
jerrykadinger
posted on December 2nd, 2009 at 8:00 am
wow i think i should stop my mom and dad when they throw out their ciggerette butts next time
Ann L. Detjen
posted on December 20th, 2010 at 1:37 am
It’s fascinating that a cigarette butt has finally found a recycled purpose. The U.S. doesn’t seem to take recycling seriously enough, in my opinion. As usual, California takes the lead in everything green, but I haven’t heard of recycling cigarette butts before in the U.S. I’d love to see that available here.
Blake Burich
posted on December 22nd, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Yes, the U.S, does take this seriously…..more and more every day. This work in London, I am sure, is only being done based off of a U.S. patent issues only 3 to 4 months prior to this article being written. Visit http://www.innovagreensystems.com
Erin from Long Island
posted on December 23rd, 2010 at 12:58 am
NYC is working on a recycling plan for their butts. Much like the 5 cent deposit for cans and plastics, which did wonders for the city as far as cleaning it up, this has a great potential!