HARRISBURG – Keep PA Beautiful is partnering with the PA Turnpike Commission to implement the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program at up to 17 service plazas and interchange access buildings across the state. Keep PA Beautiful is partnering with TerraCycle to recycle and compost cigarette waste that is collected. Cigarettes collected through program are shipped to TerraCycle where the various materials are separated and processed. The filters are melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled industrial products. The residual tobacco and paper are separated and composted in a specialized process. Keep PA Beautiful’s 2019 PA Litter Research Study showed over 500 million pieces of litter were found on state roads. Of that total, 37.1% were cigarette butts. Cigarette butts thrown on the ground can contaminate soil and ground water with chemicals and heavy metals; fatally impact animals who mistake them for food; and the filters never fully disappear from the environment.
