The cigarette butts collecting along Glen Cove’s streets may appear small, but city beautification advocates say their environmental consequences can stretch all the way to Long Island Sound.
The Glen Cove Beautification Litter Prevention Program has received a $15,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful to launch a citywide cigarette-litter prevention and recycling initiative. Working with the City of Glen Cove Beautification Commission, the nonprofit will install specialized receptacles, educate adult smokers and track how much cigarette waste is collected and recycled.
Lora Cusumano, president and chairwoman of the nonprofit program, said she learned about the grant through the organization’s affiliation with Keep America Beautiful and applied in February. She was unsure whether Glen Cove would be selected.
“We were all very excited to hear that. Now we’re implementing the program, Cusumano said.
The program currently has 23 receptacles and may acquire more. Some can be attached to walls or poles, while freestanding units can be bolted to the ground. They will be placed at approved city-owned sites and businesses that agree to follow collection, storage and recordkeeping requirements.
“I just don’t think that people are aware that cigarette butts can be recycled,” she said.
Many smokers mistakenly believe filters are composed only of paper and tobacco and will naturally decompose, Cusumano said. Most filters, however, contain cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that does not readily biodegrade. As filters break apart, plastic fibers and chemical residue can enter soil, storm drains and waterways.
Tobacco products account for an estimated 25 to 40 percent of litter worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, as cited in a 2024 article published by Johns Hopkins University. An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered annually, making them the world’s most commonly littered item.
Cusumano frequently sees cigarette butts along Glen Cove’s curb lines, including near her home on Shore Road. Some motorists routinely discard them through car windows, she said. During heavy rain, butts deposited near curbs can be swept into storm drains and eventually reach Long Island Sound.
Ralph Comitino, president of the Glen Cove Civil Service Employees Association, said cigarette litter is particularly visible after large community gatherings. City employees are regularly assigned to clean downtown streets following parades and car shows.
“There’s usually tons of cigarette butts,” Comitino said.
Once collected, the cigarette waste will be weighed, documented and shipped at no charge to TerraCycle through its recycling partnership with Keep America Beautiful. Participants will place the waste in specialized foil mailing bags, scan a QR code and print a prepaid shipping label.
The amount shipped will be credited to the Glen Cove Beautification Litter Prevention Program, allowing organizers to measure the program’s impact.
TerraCycle separates dirt and other debris from the collected waste before processing the cigarettes. The paper and tobacco components are separated for composting, while the plastic filters are processed into pellets that can be used to manufacture other products.
Participation will extend beyond city employees and businesses. Individual smokers may obtain portable cup-style ashtrays designed to fit inside car cup holders, along with smaller foil pouches and larger mailing envelopes. Residents who collect discarded butts may also ship them to TerraCycle and have the weight counted toward Glen Cove’s total.
Businesses that host a unit will be required to sign an agreement covering placement, servicing, safe storage and shipment. Cusumano said the partnership will allow cigarette receptacles to be installed at privately owned locations in addition to municipal sites.
The nonprofit is also developing a separate collection program for used electronic cigarettes and nicotine vapes. Those devices must not be placed inside the new cigarette receptacles, household garbage or curbside recycling because they can contain nicotine residue and lithium batteries, which may ignite if damaged. Collection sites for those products will be announced separately.
For Cusumano, the new program addresses a type of litter that people often overlook despite encountering it every day. Keeping discarded filters off streets and away from storm drains, she said, will require both infrastructure and a shift in public awareness.
“This program is not about judging smokers,” Cusumano said. “It is about providing convenient, responsible alternatives and protecting our community.”
