Since April 2024, smokers passing through Saint-Gratien (Val-d'Oise) have been invited to throw their butts into the awareness ashtrays installed by the Tchaomégot company, reports La Gazette du Val-d'Oise .
In total, thirteen 12-liter ashtrays and two 2-liter wall-mounted ashtrays were installed in the town. The device has made it possible to collect 70,200 cigarette butts since its installation, or nearly 20 kg in just five weeks. “A real success for the environment”welcomed the town hall of Saint-Gratien on its Facebook page.
An ecological transformation
This initiative helps to prevent these cigarette butts from ending up in rivers and oceans. As the Ministry of Ecology points out on its site, in addition to their visual impact, this waste constitutes a significant source of environmental pollution: the filter, made of plastic (cellulose acetate), can take more than ten years to degrade and contains several thousand chemical substances (hydrocyanic acid, naphthalene, nicotine, ammonia, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead), some of which are toxic to ecosystems.
The company, from Oise, specializes in the reprocessing of this waste using an innovative process, without water or toxic products. As she explains on her site, she starts by extracting organic materials, such as tobacco and paper, which then become compostable. Then, to depollute the filter fiber and concentrate the toxic substances present, it uses this neutral solvent which cleans the fiber and rids it of odors. The purified fiber is then reused as insulation for buildings or to stuff down jackets.
