Four New Benches In Ocean City, Maryland Made From Recycled Cigarette Butts
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) -- Visitors in Ocean City, Maryland will notice something unique about four brand new benches.
The benches, three of which are located on the Boardwalk and the other at Seacrets, are made from recycled cigarette butts.
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The benches were created as a result of the Ocean City Green Team's Cigarette Litter Prevention Program which was created last year.
The program encourages businesses, visitors and residents to dispose of their cigarette butts and cigar tips properly, while aiming to reduce secondhand smoke.
According to Keep America Beautiful, the nation's largest organization aimed at eliminating cigarette litter and a co-funder of CLPP, cigarette butts remain the most littered item in the U.S. and across the globe.
In 2019, CLPP began a campaign where "butt huts" were made available to businesses willing to take a pledge of participation and assist with collecting cigarette waste throughout Ocean City.
The huts were installed in busy areas that routinely saw concentrated cigarette waste. When full the huts were emptied by volunteers and interns and sent to international recycling leader TerraCycle, who recycled the cigarette butts and used the resulting plastic to manufacture the new benches.