In Italy, one in five people is a smoker. Every year, it is estimated that more than 3,000,000,000 cigarette butts are discarded in the environment (source: RE-CIG, with reference to data from the 2023 ISS-Doxa survey, Ministry of the Environment).
A cigarette butt is the residue of a tobacco product after use, which is primarily composed of cellulose acetate (a resin family).
It slowly biodegrades into microplastics and can release various toxic substances into the environment, including nicotine, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals.
This initiative therefore supports Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production and Goal 13 – Climate Action, of the UN 2030 Agenda.

RE-CIG® is the first and only company in Italy and Europe authorized to recover cigarette butts, recognized as waste since 2019. Through a patented process, it transforms cigarettes into a plastic material called Re-Ca® (cellulose acetate), which can be
used to create new objects.

The Politecnico di Milano has signed a three-year agreement with this company, effective July 2024, for the collection and recycling of cigarette butts.

The service includes both the provision of 100 smoking points and the collection of cigarette butts at all Politecnico sites. Each bin has a capacity of 1,500 cigarette butts and is accompanied by information on the environmental damage caused by littering.

The first 48 bins are currently being installed at the two Milan campuses, in designated smoking areas outside the University:

30 smoking points on the Città Studi Campus

18 smoking points on the Bovisa-La Masa Campus

This new University project, in addition to its educational purpose, aims to combat littering—the deliberate or involuntary abandonment of small waste—and promote the circular economy by recycling waste into a resource.