The apparatus (10) for feeding and forming organized groups of smoking articles (20) comprises a containing compartment (11) configured to contain smoking articles (20) and provided with a lower aperture (16), a plurality of conveying channels (30), each one having an upper aperture (34) communicating with the lower aperture (16) of the containing compartment, and a conveying device (40) comprising a support structure (41) on which there are mounted two or more conveying members (42) with an elongated shape, parallel to each other and disposed in correspondence with the upper apertures (34) of the conveying channels (30).

An apparatus an related methods for recovering a substance from rejected delivery systems includes a transport system, a retainer, and a fluid conduit. The transport system is configured to receive a rejected delivery system and convey it along a conveyance path in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of a rejected delivery system. The transport system includes at least one transport member. The retainer includes an endless flexible belt configured to engage a rejected delivery system received on the transport system over a portion of the conveyance path as a rejected delivery system travels along the conveyance path and to retain a rejected delivery system on the transport system. The fluid conduit is configured to direct a jet of gas into a first end of a rejected delivery system from an opposite end of a rejected delivery system, whilst a rejected delivery system is transported along said portion of the conveyance path and retained on the transport system by the retainer.

A hopper for rod-shaped articles having a longitudinal axis is provided, the hopper including: a plurality of guiding vanes defining adjacent guiding channels in between the guiding vanes, the adjacent guiding channels being configured to provide for guiding rod-shaped articles through the hopper in a transport direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the articles, the adjacent guiding channels including substantially vertical inner walls formed by the guiding vanes and being open along at least a front side such that articles may extend out of the adjacent guiding channels and beyond guiding vane front surfaces; and a deflector arranged at a front surface of at least one guiding vane, the deflector being configured to remove a rod-shaped article from the hopper, the rod-shaped article extending across the front surface of the at least one guiding vane.