Just a case

No one wants to deal with it, but everyone knows it: cigarettes usually end up on the ground and are bad for the environment. But not only the filters are dangerous, the toxins inside contaminate our groundwater and are much worse. Here lies the potential to make a difference. With the reusable container, we collect our butts before their pollutants (toxins, microplastics) enter our environment. In this way we can never forget our ashtray again and save at least 80 bottles of water (a 0.5 l) per collected cigarette from toxic poisoning by chemicals. There are other surveys that show that 1 cigarette butt contaminates 1000 Liters of water with toxic chemicals. This is dangerous for marine animals as well as for us humans when they get thrown on the ground, the chemicals get washed out into rivers and lakes by rain and end up in the ocean or in our drinking water.

To avoid this, the most important part is to combine information about the problem and the solution with an alternative way of behavior. With this case people are getting educated about the consequences of cigarette butts in their environment through small hints on and inside the case but at the same time get an immediate offer for a more environmentally friendly way to act in exactly that situation. This makes sure that people understand the consequences of their actions and are given the opportunity to develop environmentally friendly habits.

This makes it easy and convenient for everyone to collect cigarettes and do their part to protect the environment. The message is: Even if the impact of collecting cigarettes seems small, it can have an immense impact on our world if everyone changes their habits just a little bit.

The project is one part of a new envisioned deposit system by the “Initiative Zigarettenpfand”. When the case is full, it is simply emptied at the supermarket vending machine and the filters and cigarette pack can be recycled.