Imagine a young boy is smoking cigarettes and throwing away cigarette butts here and there in a city as if the whole city were a dustbin! The real scenario is even worse than our imagination!
If nature had the power to express its feelings, it would have complained about being suffocated by the irresponsible behavior of human beings! However, we can give our environment ample scope to breathe if we can collect all the cigarette waste, recycle it, and turn all trash into cash! To know how we can do that, just hold your breath and keep your enthusiasm alive for a moment!
That one piece of cigarette you see being thrown away by someone contains 95% plastic that takes almost 12 years to decompose! Then how dreadful it feels to think about the damage caused by a million tons of cigarettes every year!
First, give a thought to what your idea of generating cash is. Through setting up a business that will benefit the environment and add up to your profit?
Then let us dive into some viable ways to help get some money in your pocket by recycling this ever-harmful product for both the environment and health.
Durable Plastic Lumber
By recycling the cellulose acetate filters, a wide range of plastic lumber can be produced which are durable, strong, and weather-resistant at the same time. Decks, fences, and other outdoor furniture are being made out of these plastic lumbers. Wood fibers and some other recycled plastic can also be mixed with recycled cellulose acetate filters that add a wood-like texture and aesthetic finish to the end products.
Soft Toys and Cushions
If you analyze a cigarette body, you will find three layers to it – fiber, paper, and tobacco. Of them, the component fiber, scientifically called cellulose acetate alone takes 10 years to decompose!
But, you can separate this component and transform it into some amazing plushies and cushions you want. Use solutions line Sodium Carbonate (NaOH), Acetic Acid (Vinegar), and Surfactants to dissolve or neutralize the toxins and eliminate organic pollutants.
Then, shred the fibers and combine them with other elements like cotton which will provide the consistency of materials used to stuff the toys. Finally make the layout of the plushie, pillow, mattress, or artifact you want and sew it, stuffing in your recycled materials.
Bug Repellent
In this season of monsoon, how annoyed do you get from the infestation of mosquitoes and flies? Do you want to be the savior, who can rescue people from this massive infestation? Then, collect some cigarette butts, and separate the paper component from it. Remove the paper’s toxins and flatten it like a thin sheet. This sheet, when burnt, will create smoke that inhibits the growth of ‘Anopheles stephensi’, the mosquito species that spreads the ‘P. falciparum’ malaria parasite”, bacteria that causes pneumonia “Salmonella typhi” with the silver nanoparticle it has.
Cigarette Waste Roofing Tiles
To make sustainable and irresistible roofing tiles, recycled cigarette butts can be used. These tiles can effectively protect our rooftop from leakage, rain, wind, or any other external factors. As cigarette waste roofing tiles are comparatively lightweight than traditional rooftop tiles, the weight loads on the building structure also get reduced to a larger extent.
Textile Fibers
Looking for some quirky outfits or something to stand out but are you also concerned about eco-friendly products? Say no more. The cellulose acetate of cigarettes can provide you with yarns that give a different texture and can be used to make attractive outfits out of it.
This approach was first taken by Designer Alexandra Guerrero as a part of his thesis, where the cigarette butts were sterilized twice in an autoclave machine, washed in a polar solvent like Ethanol (C₂H₅OH), Acetone (C₃H₆O) (available in nail polish remover), vinegar and then rinsed. Mixing with some other fiber, this yarn can yield amazing sweaters, hats, shawls, and many more.
It’s not like money can be earned only through the ways mentioned above. The potential usage of cigarette waste in making sunglasses, photo frames, accessories, fertilizers, Biochars, and the like is still in research. Maybe that day is not too far when all cigarette butts that are damaging the environment can be recycled to produce something better!
So, what are you waiting for? Take the initiative of accumulating all cigarette waste from every nook and corner of the city and start recycling it! This initiative will act as a double-edged sword. You are making a toxic-free environment while generating innovative ideas to make cash by recycling trash! Now, it is up to you whether you want to turn the trash into cash or be in a polluted environment!
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Writers,
Rifah Zakiah’s (MT) Team,
(Alima Zaim, Taspia Taher Faiza, Ashura Tabassum Arshi, Labina Mehrin, Tanvir Hosen Shawon)
Interns of Batch 11, Content Writing Department
YSSE