MéGO! (France): from cigarette stubs to plastic secondary raw material

Type of organisation or company
Country
France
City
Bourg-Blanc
Language for original content
Start/End date
Ongoing
Yes
Expected end date
09/2018
Type of funding
Description

8 millions of cigarette stubs are generated each minute in the world, and 66% of them currently end up in the environment, where they take up to 15 years to decompose. The countless chemical components in cigarette filters also generate residual pollution.

MéGO! is a B2B operator for enterprises, associations and public bodies that offers a comprehensive service for collecting and recycling cigarette stubs.

The company operates at each stage of the process: first MéGO! provides the equipment (ashtrays or other urban equipment) and marketing tools (signposts, posters). Once in place, the company collects the butts, sorts them and finally recycles at its plant in  Bourg-Blanc. MéGO! also keeps statistical records and evaluates the carbon footprint of each installation. Cigarette stubs are recycled into secondary raw plastic that can be used to manufacture new objects, such as ashtrays.

Using this service (currently available in France) also increases carbon footprint awareness and the virtues of recycling among staff and consumers of the businesses and organisations making use of the MéGO! solution.

Main results

As of June 2018, MéGO! has recycled 4 tonnes of smoked cigarettes - this is equivalent to 9,5 million cigarette butts.