Maine Proposes Cigarette Butt Redemptions

Feb. 23 -- If a Maine legislator has his way, soon the stubby ends of smoked cigarettes that litter roadsides, beaches and lawns could be worth a nickel each.

Under a proposed law, thought to be the first of its kind, all cigarettes sold in Maine would be labeled with 5-cent deposit notices. After paying an additional $1 per pack, smokers could then turn in their used butts to redeem the deposits.

The bill is modeled on bottle and can deposit laws. Supporters of the idea, including Maine inkeepers and some environmentalists, claim it can reduce the amount of ugly stubs littering a state heavily dependent on its stunning landscapes for tourism.

"There are still a lot of people who still think it's a silly idea," says Maine Rep. Scott Cowger, co-sponsor of the bill, "but I think it could work and reduce waste."

The main sponsor of the bill, Rep. Joseph Brooks, D-Winterport, doesn't believe everyone will turn in their butts for nickels. But, he has argued, unredeemed deposits could bankroll an estimated $40 million to $50 million dollars each year for the state. That money could then be used to fund anti-smoking education programs in Maine schools.

Cowger also supposes the program could bolster the struggling industry of bottle redemption centers in the state, since the centers could begin adding butts to their accepted redemptions. He even imagines high school teams and bands raising funds not only by collecting bottles but also by doing "butt drives."

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But while many Mainers take pride in the fact that their state was among the first to adopt bottle and can redemption laws, the idea of redeeming stinking cigarette butts for change hasn't yet found much support.

"I don't really want to play around with other people's cigarette butts," says Annie Loadwick, a Mercer, Maine resident who owns a bottle redemption center with her husband, Rick. "I think adults should be responsible for themselves and take care of their own trash."