Re-Cig Project: a new cycle for cigarette butts
The Madonna di Campiglio Tourist Board has joined the Re-Cig project, a Trentino-based start-up that recycles cigarette butts.
The aim is to promote a new culture of collection, recycling and reuse of polluting materials, with particular attention to cigarette butts — one of the most widespread types of waste with the greatest impact on the environment.
The initiative is part of a circular economy model, where even waste can become a resource.
Through a patented process developed by Re-Cig, the filters are purified and transformed into a plastic polymer that can be reused in various manufacturing sectors.
The start-up manages the entire supply chain: from the production of collection points (Smokers Points) to collection and processing, right through to the creation of new objects made from recycled material.
Some facts about cigarette butt pollution:
- 850,000 tonnes of cigarette butts discarded worldwide every year.
- Over 200 toxic substances contained in filters, 70 of which are carcinogenic.
- 40% of waste in the Mediterranean consists of cigarette butts.
- 2 years: the average time it takes for a filter to degrade in nature.
