Philip Morris International Opens Recycling Center

The complete recycling of smokeless tobacco products such as Iqos devices will be made possible at a center opened by Phillip Morris International (PMI) on Monday near Gyál just SE of Budapest. Apart from Hungary, a similar center only exists in Japan.

The US tobacco company chose Hungary because of its location, infrastructure, external relations and investment environment, according to Miguel Coleta, Director of Sustainability at PMI.

“We must also take advantage of the opportunities offered by science, technology and innovation. PMI CIRCLE is one such project where we are trying to harness the power of science and technology. That is why we want to get out of the cigarette business, so that together we can build a smoke-free future. We believe in working together to end cigarette smoking for the betterment of the one billion people who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes,” the Director said.

Philip Morris has a similar plant only in Japan, while the global operations center has been established in Hungary, with an engineering laboratory for product testing.

The company has invested around USD 10 million (about HUF three billion) in the Gyál site in the first round, followed by a further investment of USD 3.4 million (some HUF one billion) a year.
In the initial phase, the plant will process around 150,000 Iqos per month, but the number will grow, as will the product portfolio. The first step at the plant will be to identify the defects of the incoming unit and then dismantle it into small components so that all parts can be recycled. The plastic casing can be used, for example, to make sticks or even hangers for use in crop production.