Naman Gupta and Vipul Gupta had seen people smoking around them since they can remember. Over the years, the number of smokers only increased, but was their health the only thing sacrificed? The brothers realised the menace that cigarette butts create in the environment, and wanted to make a change. Code Effort Private Limited, is a Noida (Uttar Pradesh) based company, started by the two brothers in 2018. Code Effort is a first-mover in the Indian market. It offers an end-to-end solution to the problem of cigarette butt littering.
The ‘Butt’ Story
There is a general awareness in society about the ill effects of cigarette smoking, but little is known about the ‘butt’ of the cigarette which is doing more harm to the environment than people imagine. Cigarette butts or filters are a new-age addition to cigarettes that came into use to reduce the possibility of lung cancer in smokers. Though, later many researchers considered it a false claim and realised that it was a marketing tool to control the fear and promote cigarette sales. While a lot of emphasis is put on quitting smoking, little or no effort is put into creating awareness and resolving the problem caused due to cigarette waste in the form of cigarette butts. These cigarette butts are made up of non-biodegradable plastic called cellulose acetate which take almost 15 years to break down and further cause numerous damages to soil and oceans. Cigarette butts have been categorised as the largest form of plastic pollution in the world. Discarded cigarette waste also leaks toxic chemicals into our waterways. Several researchers and environmentalists have reportedly found lethal cigarette waste in dead fish, sea turtles, whales, dolphins, etc. It is also one of the most found forms of waste on beaches and shores. Cigarette waste also adds nicotine, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals into our ecosystem.
Process
Code Effort offers systematic collection, cleaning, processing, and recycling of all cigarette waste into 100% toxin-free lifestyle essentials such as pillows, keychains, mosquito repellents, and even air purifiers. Its pan-India operations are led out of Delhi-NCR, Noida, and Gurugram. Naman explains, “We collect cigarette waste and incentivise our sources by paying per kilogram, for the amount of waste sent to us.” The procured cigarette butts are first separated manually & broken down into their sub-parts- Cellulose Acetate fibre (derived from the cigarette filters), paper covering (the outer cigarette wrapping paper made of flax/linen), and the leftover tobacco. The cigarette fibers are recycled using biodegradable and organic chemical compositions, the paper coverings are converted into A5 Sheets and then into mosquito repellents, and the tobacco or any other leftovers are turned into compost through a treatment process. The materials then undergo a quality and lab-testing process before further application. The closed-loop recycling process ensures 100% utilisation of the materials, NET ZERO carbon footprints, and fosters a circular economy. The recycling process is ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, and GRS certified – followed by regular quality checks.
Health And Safety
Code Effort understands and takes care of the fact that both cigarettes and cigarette waste are toxic. Hence, they take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of their workers. They call their workers ‘waste warriors’ and make them follow a strict mask and gloves protocol. Every worker is trained thoroughly and geared with the necessary equipment before they begin to work. While, the entire recycling process has almost no side effects, yet, to ensure the safety of the ‘waste warriors’ Code Effort always keep first-aid and medical assistance on site.
Contribution
Code Effort in their journey to make the earth a cleaner and better place has touched and impacted society in many ways:
- Environment:
- Recycled above 2.5 billion cigarette butts procured from PAN India, saved 50 billion usable water from contamination and toxic leachate,
- Mitigated millions of marine species from life-threatening situations (caused by ingestion), and
- Helped offset 96 billion grams of CO2 from the environment
- Society:
- Provided 100,000+ cigarette waste disposal receptacles (VBins) across India to foster segregation at source,
- Bringing behaviour change among millions of consumers, and
- Helping people quit smoking one butt at a time
- Economy:
- Income source for 2000+ BPL, marginalised, and unemployed citizens,
- Income source for 100+ women and local artisans, and
- A reservoir of opportunities through affiliation, collaboration, employment, and purpose-driven projects with the youth of India
Plans Ahead
The journey of Code Effort started with a lot of research and study. Being the first mover in the Indian market they had to take up studies on after life of cigarette waste and delve deep into finding out possible solutions to the problem. “Every idea looks great on paper, but a proactive response makes the idea successful,” says Naman. He further added that Code Effort plans to expand its procurement and recycling capacity from 30 to 300 tonnes per month by 2025. Cigarette butts (as a raw material) have immense properties and applications. In the coming three years the B2B and ESG/EPR/CSR initiatives will form 75% of the revenues. Code effort is also planning to attract environment-loving generation Y/Z through its D2C brand. It may diversify into the utilisation of other waste items after it reaches the set milestones.
The government bodies are taking steps to address the issue of cigarette waste management. However, a greater change will be possible when a change of attitude at the individual, institutional, and societal levels take place. It requires big tobacco organisations, corporate companies, government bodies, and local authorities to join hands in managing and recycling cigarette butts. Naman strongly feels that “If you want to lead a sustainable and clean lifestyle, you must run this marathon and cross the finish line even though it takes more time than expected. My message to all enterprises is: To Conserve Our Depleting Environment, EFFORT is the KEY!”
Also read Van Plestik: Recycling Plastic
