3D Printing
News Contact us Seen on social
Home / News / Cigarette Butts get New Life as Feedstock

Cigarette Butts get New Life as Feedstock

September 2, 2022

Used cigarette butts are a huge problem for the oceans of our planet, with one discarded butt being capable of poisoning up to 1000 liters of water from the toxins captured within.

And the non-biodegradable plastic filters just hang around for a long time also, causing physical hazard to marine life.

A local authority in North Tallinn, Estonia, has devised a scheme to reduce the amount of cigarette ends in the Baltic Sea which involves transforming the errant butts into printer filament.

Read on to know more.

No Ifs, No Butts

The pilot scheme, which began last week on Baltic Sea Day, has placed specially designated bins along the beaches at Põhja-Tallinn district. The bins will be collected and the butts will be retrieved, cleaned, and reconstituted into thermoplastic filaments.

You can see one of the bins in the image below.

butts bin
Put your butts in this bin (Image credit: Tallinn Local Authority)

The toxic and non-biodegradable butts are one of the most common types of marine trash (and *the* most common land trash), and the project will monitor the presence of butts in the local environment over the duration, to see if the scheme is effective.

“Every year, almost 80 tonnes of cigarette filters end up in the environment, which do not decompose and cause the toxic substances to reach the human diet through marine animals,” said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Joosep Vimm.

“What makes the project particularly interesting is that, in addition to just collecting the cigarette butts from the beach, they will be upcycled into compostable 3D printing material, thus reducing the problem of plastic waste.”

99% of the world’s cigarette butts are made from cellulose acetate fibers which can take 10 years to decompose. The butts only break down partially however, and the toxins (such as formaldehyde, nicotine, arsenic, lead, copper, chromium, and cadmium) do not break down.

 cigarette butts harm nature
Cigarette butts harm nature. Put them in the trash. (Image credit: Karen Mason)

The project is overseen by the Circular Economy Department of the Tallinn Strategic Management Office in cooperation with a local company, Filaret OÜ.

Circular Butt Economy

Filaret OÜ specializes in the collection and recycling of cigarette butts into compostable printer filament.

The startup began recycling cigarette butts into art pieces as a university project but soon evolved into a circular economy company when it was realized that the butts could be reprocessed and used at larger scale.

After partnering with the Laboratory of Polymers of Tallinn University of Technology and joining an incubator, they developed a solution for the collection and processing of the butts.

According to Filaret (a portmanteau of filament and cigarette, apparently) there are 328 tonnes of cigarette butts produced in Estonia each year.

If the 2 month trial is a success, then the local authorities will order more bins and place them along other beaches and waterways in the area.

The project will run until October.

The Orange Juicer That 3D Prints Cups From Peels
Related Story
The Circular Juice Bar That 3D Prints Cups From Peels
Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Phillip Keane
Phillip is an aerospace engineer from UK. He is a graduate of Coventry University (UK), International Space University (France) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), where he studied Advanced Manufacturing at the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing.
Latest posts

3D Printed Switchable Explosives Offer Safer Solutions for Mining and Military Applications

Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed "switchable" high explosives that require an inert fluid, like water, to be activated, minimizing... read more »

Military
Experimental setup and detonation time lapse

Engineer Wins Prize for 3D-Admix Concrete Printing Additive

Fort Bragg resident and civil engineer, Michael Butler, has won the Most Innovative Product Award at the 2023 World of Concrete International Exhibition.... read more »

Construction
concrete and 3D-Admix

Patent Granted for 3D Printing Embossing Technology

Northann Corp has obtained a European patent for its innovative "DSE Embossing Technology." This new method combines positive and negative embossing techniques in... read more »

News
DSE embossed example

USAF Global Strike Command Embraces 3D Printing for Future Weapon Sustainment

The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is turning to 3D printing to address its weapon sustainment needs. As the field of additive... read more »

Military
USAF mechanical engineer

Particle Accelerator Sheds New Light on Solidification of Metals During 3D Printing

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and other institutions have made a... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Shooting X-rays

CyBe to 3D Print Florida’s First Villa

Dutch construction printing company CyBe Construction is set to print their first 3D concrete villa in Florida, utilizing mobile printing technology to construct... read more »

Construction
CyBe Render

Custom 3D Printed Gaming Mouse Now on Kickstarter

Canadian start-up Formify has launched a Kickstarter campaign for their custom 3D printed gaming mouse, designed to enhance player performance in Esports. Already... read more »

News
custom 3d printed gaming mouse

3D Printed Titanium Cranks Now Available for Electric Mountain Bikes

Cane Creek is taking electric mountain bikes to the next level with the introduction of their 3D printed titanium Electric Wings crankset. Designed... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Swanky and robust

New Technique Produces Ultra-Lightweight, Waste-Free Concrete Structures

Researchers at the University of Michigan's Taubman College have developed an innovative 3D printing method that creates ultra-lightweight, waste-free concrete structures. The "Shell... read more »

Construction
Tubular

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
  • Twitter Twitter 3D Printing
  • Geeetech Mizar S Geeetech Mizar S
    255 x 255 x 260 mm
    $279
    Buy Now
  • Fusion3 F410 Fusion3 F410
    355 x 355 x 315 mm
    $4,599
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech A30T Geeetech A30T
    320 x 320 x 420 mm
    $449
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech ALKAID Geeetech ALKAID
    82 x 130 x 190 mm
    $99
    Buy Now
  • Modix BIG-60 Modix BIG-60
    600 x 600 x 660 mm
    $4,900
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech Mizar M Geeetech Mizar M
    255 x 255 x 260 mm
    $399
    Buy Now
  • Geeetech THUNDER Geeetech THUNDER
    250 x 250 x 260 mm
    $489
    Buy Now
  • Hands-On Review: Creality Ender 5 S1
    Hands-On Review: Creality Ender 5 S1 Learn More
  • Hands-On Review: The Mole 3D Scanner
    Hands-On Review: The Mole 3D Scanner Learn More

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Modix BIG Meter Modix BIG Meter
    1010 x 1010 x 1010 mm
    from $13,500
    Request a Quote
  • Industry MAGNUM Industry MAGNUM
    1500 x 1200 x 1200 mm
    €159.000
    Request a Quote
  • Modix BIG-120Z Modix BIG-120Z
    600 x 600 x 1200 mm
    from $7,500
    Request a Quote
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Companies

  • Modix
  • Industry
  • Geeetech

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2023 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing
We serve cookies on this site to analyze traffic, remember your preferences, and optimize your experience.
Details
Close