Easy To Change and clikeco are partnering to ensure the traceability of cigarette butts

Every year, billions of cigarette butts are discarded on the ground in France, making them the most commonly collected waste item during cleanup operations.
Easy To Change, a specialist in cigarette butt management for businesses and public spaces, announced today a partnership with Clikeco, a national expert in hazardous waste collection, to provide complete and transparent traceability for cigarette butts collected at its equipped sites.

A concrete response to a massive environmental challenge

A cigarette butt takes up to 12 years to decompose and can contaminate up to 500 liters of water. Yet, in many organizations, collected cigarette butts disappear into opaque channels, leaving companies unaware of their actual fate.

Through this partnership, Easy To Change now includes collection services provided by clikeco—which operates throughout France—as part of its offering. Participating companies and local authorities thus benefit from comprehensive tracking: quantity collected, origin, and final destination. This rigorous traceability meets organizations’ growing demands for environmental responsibility.

A comprehensive approach, from raising awareness to collection

Easy To Change offers a comprehensive solution to the cigarette butt problem, built around three pillars:

- Durable, French-made equipment: stylish and sturdy ashtrays designed to blend into any environment
- User awareness: signage, educational materials, and workshops led by Easy To Change, with the support of Peasy—a mascot who adopts a deliberately grumpy and offbeat tone to address the topic of cigarette butts with humor and without moralizing
- Structured management of collected waste streams: collection, traceability, and appropriate processing, now reinforced by clikeco’s logistics expertise

About Easy to Change

Easy to Change is a service launched in 2025 by Caeterra, the company behindEasy to Compost, a pioneering solution for managing food waste and composting in the workplace. With Easy to Change, Caeterra is expanding its scope by offering a new, concrete solution to a major environmental challenge: cigarette butt pollution. By combining cleanliness, design, and social innovation, Easy to Change transforms everyday waste into a catalyst for solidarity. This approach aligns with Caeterra’s mission: to develop an ecosystem of practical and accessible solutions to support organizations in their environmental and societal transition.

By the numbers:
Over 700 sites equipped with Easy To Change and Easy To Compost solutions
1,000 tons of waste recycled
150,000 people reached
10 full-time jobs created

About Clikeco

Clikeco helps companies organize the sorting, collection, treatment, and recycling of their non-hazardous waste.
Its goal is to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to adopt a responsible and optimized approach to waste management.

Ask yourself the right questions!

Is it possible to recycle cigarette butts?

Yes, but it's not that simple. Cigarette butts are hazardous waste, made of plastic (cellulose acetate) and saturated with toxic substances. Their recovery therefore requires specialized channels. Today, there are several solutions in France: some partners transform them into substitute fuel for industrial furnaces (particularly in cement plants), while others clean them and recycle them into insulation, street furniture, or recycled plastics.

In all cases, structured collection of cigarette butts is an essential prerequisite. A suitable ashtray, emptied regularly and integrated into a collection solution, ensures the quality of sorting and reduces diffuse pollution. By choosing a solution that goes as far as recovery, you are doing more than just meeting your obligations: you are actively participating in the reduction of polluting waste and giving meaning to an often-neglected daily gesture.

Smoking areas: what do the regulations say?

Smoking in enclosed public spaces is prohibited, except in designated smoking areas that are separate, ventilated, and clearly marked. Outdoors, there is no obligation to provide designated areas, but the employer or site manager remains responsible for cleanliness, safety, and preventing nuisances. Installing an ashtray is not legally mandatory, but it is currently the only recognized way to limit pollution from cigarette butts, which are considered non-biodegradable and polluting waste.

In public spaces, local authorities set the rules: some install ashtrays or launch awareness campaigns, while others issue fines for littering cigarette butts (up to €135). But in all cases, it is up to the company, landlord, or site manager to take the lead. A well-placed, well-sized, visible ashtray prevents dozens of cigarette butts from ending up on the ground—and shows that the issue is being taken seriously.

Which ashtray should a company choose?

All businesses are affected by cigarette butt management, but few really know what type of ashtray is best suited to their needs. Traffic volume, exposure to the elements, safety constraints, visibility, accessibility... these are all criteria to consider in order to avoid overflow, incivility, or unsuitable collection points. Standing ashtrays meet all of these requirements: sturdy, mobile if necessary, visible, and high-capacity, they are the most reliable and versatile solution.

That's why we have chosen to offer only free-standing ashtrays, designed specifically for intensive professional use. Easy to use, durable and attractive, they fit perfectly into any outdoor environment. Combined with our collection and cleaning service, they allow you to create clean, practical and compliant smoking areas... without any worries.

Outdoor ashtrays: why is a standing ashtray the best option?

For a business, an outdoor ashtray must above all be visible, accessible, stable, and easy to maintain. This is exactly what freestanding models offer. Unlike wall-mounted ashtrays, which are often undersized or poorly positioned, freestanding ashtrays can be installed where they are really needed—break areas, entrances, designated smoking areas—and offer sufficient capacity to prevent overflow. Their sturdy construction allows for outdoor use in all weather conditions.

We don't compromise: all our ashtrays are freestanding, designed for businesses and local authorities that want a solution that is robust, elegant, and functional. Their sleek design encourages good behavior and is part of a clean and attractive layout. By offering a comprehensive cigarette butt management service, we go beyond simply supplying equipment: we provide a concrete solution to a problem that is often poorly addressed.