Butts only Box®-Butts to Watts®-Cigarette Pollution Solutions® are part of our Butts to Watts program, which focuses on effective cigarette waste management and promotes energy production from waste.
Butts to Watts®
The Butts to Watts program was conceived to divert cigarette waste from landfills and generate energy. Our B.O.B. receptacles were strategically placed at highway rest areas across California, leading to a significant collection of cigarette waste. This prompted Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) to inquire if we could find alternative uses for this cigarette waste. A study revealed that, pound for pound, cigarette waste can produce the same energy as lignite coal. Specifically, each pound of cigarette waste processed generates an average of 576 watts of energy. The facilities we utilize not only place this energy back on the grid, but the ash produced in the process is also used in construction materials and as alternate daily cover.
For effective cigarette waste management, we provide covered, lockable 55-gallon metal drums for the safe storage of waste. On a scheduled basis, we collect these drums, weigh them, and provide you with statements detailing how many pounds of cigarette waste were collected during that period and the corresponding energy production from waste that was reintroduced to the grid.
San Jose International Airport has successfully recovered a megawatt of energy through the Butts to Watts® program. A significant advantage of this initiative is the reduction of greenhouse gases. Here’s a story illustrating how energy production from waste is beneficial in the short term for energy generation and long term for greenhouse gas reduction:
