No Butts Left Behind

Tahoe Cigarette Disposal Program

What is No Butts Left Behind?

The League, the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association (TWSA), and our partners around the Basin are in the process of distributing an initial run of 250 cigarette butt collection canisters at key locations around Lake Tahoe. The aim of No Butts Left Behind is to prevent toxic chemicals from littered cigarette butts from leaching into the environment, to protect wildlife, and to reduce litter on Lake Tahoe’s shoreline.

The program came about after the League noticed that cigarette butts were the top collected trash item at cleanup events. In 2020, more than 35,250 cigarette butts have been collected in and around Lake Tahoe by the League and volunteers. It is time to change that drastic statistic!

Did you know cigarettes are the number one plastic pollutant reported around the world? Luckily, with the help of TerraCycle, this trash can be "upcycled" into products with new uses, such as building materials! Now, we can turn Tahoe's cigarette trash into something useful, while sparing the environment. 

If you are a business owner who would like to adopt and install a canister, or if you are a concerned citizen who would like to inform the League of a hot spot to install a canister, please email cigarettedisposal@keeptahoeblue.org.