NEWS RELEASE
May 25, 2021

For Immediate Release

CLOSE TO 1 MILLION CIGARETTE BUTTS PICKED UP ACROSS CANADA FOR EARTH MONTH 

A Greener Future hosts Canada’s largest cigarette cleanup, The Butt Blitz, which saw over 825,000 cigarette butts picked up during this past April 

• 160 volunteers picked up cigarette butts in 25 different cities across Canada

•  Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world – 4.5 trillion annually

•  Partnering with TerraCycle, all picked up butts are collected and repurposed into recycled products 

OSHAWA, ON – The Butt Blitz, usually an annual one-day event but was adapted to suit pandemic conditions, is the biggest cigarette cleanup in Canada. In honour of Earth Month, 160 volunteers across 25 different cities picked up 825,796 cigarette butts across Canada. 

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world – 4.5 trillion annually. The Butt Blitz aims to raise awareness about the issue, offer educational resources, and use data to develop viable solutions to combat the problem. 

“[The Butt Blitz] gave me a real eye-opener to the amount of cigarette litter that is out there! We all assume that cigarette butts will break down over the years and disappear. I saw firsthand that they do not”, said Karen Henderson, A Greener Future volunteer. 

Karen was the top collector picking up over 80,000 cigarette butts during her Butt Blitz cleanups in the Port Hope, ON area. The butts picked up by Karen and volunteers will be sent to TerraCycle, a company that collects and repurposes cigarette butts into various recycled products while the remaining tobacco is composted. 

“When I was approached [by neighbours] enquiring what I was doing, I told them about A Greener Future and how they work with TerraCycle to recycle the butts, and they were amazed!” says Henderson. 

A Greener Future hopes to continue the battle against the number one litter culprit by hosting their next Butt Blitz this upcoming fall. 

ABOUT A GREENER FUTURE 

Founded in 2014, A Greener Future is a non-profit organization whose mission is to work within local communities to promote environmental protection through organized litter cleanups, educational programs, and events. A Greener Future is committed to creating a clean, healthy environment for future generations. To learn more about the Butt Blitz through A Greener Future’s Website: https://www.agreenerfuture.ca/the-butt-blitz and visit A Greener Future on Facebook and Instagram. 

ABOUT TERRACYCLE 

TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste®. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers, cities, and facilities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. If you are interested in recycling cigarettes in your community, contact litter@terracyle.com. To learn more about TerraCycle, visit www.terracycle.com. 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Rochelle Byrne, Executive Director/Founder 

705-791-5358 | rochelle@agreenerfuture.ca 

Samantha Brewer, PR Assistant 

289-788-6454 | samantha@agreenerfuture.ca