Community Cleanup Taking Place in Mississauga

Published May 2, 2017 at 7:10 pm

Volunteers in Mississauga are looking to make an environmental impact by taking part in a community cleanup on May 6.

The goal is to collect 200,000 cigarette butts, according to organizer Cindy Wilding, also known as the Trash Walking Mom.

Participants are asked to collect cigarette butts from local parks, beaches, shorelines, streets, and other public places.

Last year’s butt blitz saw 122,800 butts gathered in one day, which were sent to TerraCycle Canada for recycling — all parts of extinguished cigarettes, cigarette flters, cigar stubs, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper and ash are accepted.

“Every year, billions of cigarette butts end up in dumpsters and landfills, or get tossed as litter on shorelines, parks, and sidewalks across Canada,” reads information posted on TerraCycle’s website.

Items collected through the cigarette waste recycling program is recycled into a variety of industrial products, such as plastic pallets.