The UNSMOKE
Butt Blitz®
Join Canada’s Largest Cigarette Litter Cleanup
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
CANADA CLEANUPS
Join thousands of people across Canada removing cigarette litter from our communities and recycling it responsibly.
In-person cleanups
Participate anywhere in Canada
Track our impact
What is the UNSMOKE Butt Blitz®?
Since 2015, the UNSMOKE Butt Blitz has mobilized volunteers across Canada to tackle one of the most common yet overlooked types of litter, cigarette butts, which make up 1 in 5 pieces of litter found during our shoreline cleanups. To date, volunteers have removed over 6.3 million cigarette butts, sending them to TerraCycle Canada for recycling.
More than just a cleanup effort, the UNSMOKE Butt Blitz raises awareness about the environmental and health impacts of cigarette litter, empowering people to make responsible disposal choices. Now recognized as the world’s largest cigarette litter cleanup, the program continues to expand. Thanks to UNSMOKE Canada Cleanups funding, this year’s goal is ambitious: collecting 1.5 million cigarette butts over April & September 2026. Join the movement and be part of the solution!
Why Cigarette Litter Matters
Pollution
Cigarette butts contain plastic, arsenic, lead, and nicotine, which can leach into soil and water, contaminating ecosystems and harming wildlife and people. A single cigarette butt can pollute up to 1,000 litres of water.
Wildlife
Small animals, birds, and marine life mistake cigarette butts for food, which can lead to ingestion, poisoning, and even death. The plastic fibres in filters don’t break down, making them a persistent threat to wildlife.
Fire Hazard
Improperly discarded cigarette butts can cause wildfires and urban fires, especially in dry conditions. Countless fires worldwide have been started by smoldering cigarette butts tossed onto dry grass, leaves, or garbage.
How to Participate
The UNSMOKE Butt Blitz runs April 1–30 across Canada.
Join a staff-led or partner-hosted cleanup in your community.
Attend a Public Event
Participate as an Individual
No events near you? You can participate anywhere in Canada during April.
Flexible, self-guided, and fully supported, your data counts toward the national total.
1 Million Butts. 1 Community Bench.
This April, our goal is to collect 1 million cigarette butts across Canada.
Why 1 million? Because that’s what it takes to turn cigarette litter into something permanent and positive: a bench made from recycled cigarette butts.
If we reach our goal, we’ll build a bench and install it somewhere in Ontario. Even better, volunteers will help decide where it goes.
You can follow our progress toward 1 million in real time on our live dashboard
Press Articles
CBC News Cigarette "Butt Blitz" clean up takes off in Montreal
CTV News Campaign to clean up one million cigarette butts comes to Halifax
CityNews Butt Blitz returns: Montrealers hit the streets to clean up cigarette litter
Brantford Expositor Butt blitz hits Brantford's downtown
Things to Know TO Butt Blitz Toronto
Global News Hamilton’s one-day “Butt Blitz” takes 37,000 cigarette remains off city streets
CBC News City wants you to stop tossing your cigarette butts on the street
The Hamilton Spectator Volunteers collect 37,052 cigarette butts during Hamilton cleanup event
CHCH Butt Blitz aims to clean up cigarette butts off the ground
