CIGARETTE LITTER PREVENTION AND RECYCLING PROGRAM
The Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program (CLPR), created by Keep America Beautiful® in 2002, is the nation’s largest program aimed at eliminating cigarette litter.
ABOUT THE CLPR PROGRAM
In the 2020 Keep America Beautiful National Litter Study, 9 out of 10 littered items counted were 4″ and less, with cigarette butts being the number one littered item in this category, accounting for 9.7 billion butts counted on any given day in the United States.
The Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program is the nation’s largest program aimed at reducing cigarette litter. Communities implementing the program reduce cigarette litter by half based on local measurements taken in the first four to six months after the program is implemented. Since its inception, the program has been implemented in more than 1,800 U.S. communities.
FACT: Cigarette butts account for 88% of litter 4″ or smaller
TERRACYCLE PARTNERSHIP
Cigarette filters don’t break down naturally and will persist in our environment when littered. Removing this litter from our communities through organized cleanups is just the beginning of keeping cigarette butts out of our parks and waterways. After hosting a cleanup, collecting them at home, or with a cigarette receptacle, separate cigarettes from other trash and send them to TerraCycle to be recycled using a FREE shipping label available HERE. As an added bonus, $1.00 is donated to the Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program for every pound of cigarette waste collected.
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Affiliate Network
Individual Action Center
Partners for Change
HOW DOES CLPR WORK?
An effective local Cigarette Litter Prevention and Recycling Program includes four proven, field-tested solutions or strategies for reducing cigarette butt litter.
- Review local litter laws, including cigarette butt litter, and support enforcement
- Raise awareness about the issue of proper cigarette butt disposal using messaging and marketing campaigns
- Place ash receptacles at transition points to non-smoking areas like beaches, hospitals, or public parks; and
- Distribute pocket or portable ashtrays to adult smokers
Each year Keep America Beautiful awards grants to our affiliates and other nonprofit organizations doing the on-the-ground work of cleaning up cigarette butt litter in their communities.
Inside the effort to reduce cigarette litter
How to Recycle Items You Didn’t Know Were Recyclable
This America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful offers tips and resources for safely recycling tricky materials like batteries, cigarette butts, styrofoam, and more.
Keep America Beautiful to Award Up to $375K in Grants to Combat Cigarette Litter
Keep America Beautiful® is accepting applications for the 2024 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP) Grants. The initiative aims to reduce the amount of cigarette waste disposed of in public spaces and waterways through collection and recycling.
Exploring the Path to a Waste-Free Future: A Conversation with TerraCycle
Learn about innovative solutions for hard-to-recycle materials, the economics behind recycling, and how circular thinking can transform everyday items
Keep Butts Off the Ground, Keep Communities Beautiful
Everyone can make a difference—starting with simple actions like picking up litter, including cigarette butts, to help clean, green, and beautify our communities. Join the movement and take the first step today.
Explore more CLPR resources below.