Hyderabad: To promote Swacch Hyderabad and as part of the corporate social responsibility, Azista, an FMCG company’s initiative was planning to install 500 special Kwik-Ballot Bins in the Hyderabad city. The aim of the initiative is to spread awareness among masses that not to litter the road with used cigarette butts. T-Town actors Vasu Dev, along with Srijitaa launched the Azista Kwik Mint Ballot Bins (a bin for cigarette butts) at Olympia Café, Road no 36, Jubilee Hills.
During the launch, Abhishek, Product Manager of Azista said, “These bins will be set up at paan shops and retailers will inform their customers to throw the cigarette butts in the Ballot Bin. Used Cigarette butts are an environmental hazard. The butt takes roughly 12 to 13 years to degrade, and it still does not degrade completely.During this time, they release harmful toxins that leach into our water and landfills.”
Cigarette volumes are upwards of 70 billion sticks every year in India. Cigarette butts contain chemicals like cadmium, arsenic and lead. The butts are composed of cellulose acetate fiber that are thinner than a sewing thread and packed tightly together to form the filter. It may look like cotton, but it is not biodegradable, he added. “Our company BIN collector collects the cigarette butts from each BIN once every two weeks. We then send it to recycling companies (such as CODE enterprises) who recycle cigarette butts into reusable plastic non-toxic materials that can be used on day-to-day basis. (NSS)
