RMIT engineers mixed 1% recycled cigarette butts into fired-clay bricks, and the bricks matched standard strength while cutting firing energy by 10%

In Melbourne, engineers are pioneering a groundbreaking technique to integrate discarded cigarette butts into building bricks. This eco-friendly innovation looks to recycle billions of cigarette filters each year, creating bricks that are not only structurally sound but also require less energy to produce. By firing the bricks at high temperatures, harmful toxins in the filters are effectively neutralized, presenting a promising solution to the ongoing litter crisis.