May 2012
Upcycling cigarette butts? →
boss.blogs.nytimes.com
It sounds crazy — and in fact it might sound controversial.
But the folks at Terracycle, known for creative upcycling of big-company consumer waste, have made a deal with … Big Tobacco!
Here’s the thinking, and it’s definitely interesting:
We have been attempting to work with the tobacco industry for some time. And I am happy to say that we recently signed our first and second tobacco deals (both programs will start in a few weeks). One is with Canada’s largest tobacco company, the other with one of America’s largest tobacco companies. Both programs will allow TerraCycle to collect and recycle cigarette butts and other cigarette-related waste.
Regardless of what we think of tobacco, we can all agree that the litter caused by cigarette butts is a major issue. In Texas, the Department of Transportation has estimated that more than 130 million cigarette butts will find their way onto Texas highways this year. Globally, it has been estimated that more than a trillion butts make their way into our environment as discarded waste every year.
Our solution involves separating the paper, tobacco and ash from the filter. The organic materials are then composted properly, leaving the part that looks like white cotton but is actually a form of plastic called cellulose acetate (while this material can be made from organic materials almost all cigarette makers use plastics).
The cellulose acetate is then sanitized and injection-molded into a plastic that can be used for a variety of uses, such as plastic pallets and car berms for factories.
Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved - LATimes.com →
latimesblogs.latimes.com
Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major victory to clean-water advocates who sought to reduce the amount of trash clogging landfills, the region’s waterways and the ocean.
Egged on by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and an array of environmental groups, the City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 12 months at an estimated 7,500 stores. Councilman Bernard Parks cast the lone no vote.
“Let’s get the message to Sacramento that it’s time to go statewide,” said Councilman Ed Reyes, who has focused on efforts to revitalize the Los Angeles River.
Read the rest: LATimes
Previous bag-ban coverage here.
