Teddy bear stuffing from cigarette butts?

There’s no denying that smoking is harmful to one’s health, but one company is attempting to put cigarette ends to good use. Code Effort Pvt. Ltd, based in Noida, processes everything left over after a cigarette is smoked to create a variety of items ranging from pillows and soft toys to organic compost.

Founders Naman Gupta and Vishal Kanet were astonished by the volume of cigarette trash produced in a few hours following a gathering with a group of friends a few years ago.

Gupta told Mint in 2019, ​​“We looked at the two ashtrays we had filled in a few hours and wondered if one room of friends can generate so much trash, what is the scale of the waste worldwide?”

CODE Effort required cigarette butts to function as a business, so Gupta and Kanet went to local businesses and cigarette vendors in Delhi to inform them about the organisation and distribute collection containers.

They said they’d pay Rs 250 for every kilogram of rubbish collected, but the first month’s load weighed less than half an ounce.

CODE Effort workers gather cigarette butts and extract the residual tobacco and paper, which is composted and sold to farmers.

The remaining plastic filter is shredded and treated with 100 percent biodegradable chemicals. It’s then cleaned, dried, and fluffed into a cotton-like material, which CODE Effort uses to stuff plush toys, cushions, and other items.

Suppliers across the country are given unique contracts by the startup. It also has contract associates who provide at least 30kg of cigarette waste in bulk every month. These employees also have a district-wide goal of selling 500 finished products.

The company also plans to launch a range of products, including mosquito repellent made from leftover paper and tobacco, more soft toys, and an air purification system for chimneys made from cellulose acetate fibre.