Every year, it is estimated that over 3 billion cigarette butts are abandoned in the environment (source: RE-CIG, based on ISS-Doxa 2023 Survey data, Ministry of the Environment).
A cigarette butt is considered the remaining portion of a tobacco product after use, primarily composed of cellulose acetate (a type of resin). It breaks down slowly into microplastics and can release various toxic substances into the environment, including nicotine, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAs), and heavy metals.
This initiative supports Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and Goal 13 – Climate Action of the UN’s 2030 Agenda.
RE-CIG® is the first and only company authorized in Italy and Europe for the recovery of cigarette butts, officially recognized as waste in 2019. Through a patented process, the company is able to transform cigarette butts into a plastic material called Re-Ca® (recycled cellulose acetate), which can then be used to create new objects.
Since July 2024, Politecnico di Milano has entered into a three-year agreement with RE-CIG® for the collection and recycling of cigarette butts. The service includes the collection and provision of 100 smoker points to be distributed across the university’s campuses. Each container can hold up to 1,500 cigarette butts and includes information on the environmental damage caused by the abandonment of these residues.
The placement of the first 48 containers is currently being completed across the two Milan campuses, in designated smoking areas outside the university:
- 30 smoker points in the Città Studi Campus
- 18 smoker points in the Bovisa – La Masa Campus
This new project, in addition to its educational purpose of combating littering (the deliberate or accidental abandonment of small waste), aims to promote the circular economy by recovering waste and transforming it into a resource.