Page 60 - CIJ May 2025- Digital Edition

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Are you a smoker?

An estimated 100 billion cigarette butts are discarded each year!

India generates approximately 26,000 tonnes of cigarette butt waste annually, making it the most littered
form of plastic in the country. Cigarette filters are composed of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that can
take up to a decade to decompose. When improperly disposed, these butts release toxic substances such as
arsenic, lead and mercury into the environment, contaminating soil and water sources. This is exactly what
worried Ketan Prajapati, Founding Director of Buffindia Receptacles Private Limited. Read on…

n the absence of a designated Fourth, the waste had to be (SaaS) model. This included
bin to discard cigarette butts, it recycled and made into reusable installing uniquely designed
was a regular ritual for Ketan materials.” disposal bins, conducting
to carry used butts wrapped in This comprehensive vision took awareness activities, collecting
Ipaper before discarding them cigarette waste, recycling it and
in the general dustbin. Well, it three and a half years of research providing clients with an Impact
and development to consolidate.
was one of those days when he Report.
missed clearing his pocket. The “The biggest challenge, I find, Despite the initial challenges of
parental disapproval and wrath is creating a win-win situation — expanding operations, BuffIndia
that followed paved the way to how to sustain the business, how has made significant strides and
addressing a much larger issue: to make it profitable and how to is now active in 22 states across
universal cigarette butt disposal. create a scalable model.” multiple cities. The company
The subsequent realization of Initial success was achieved by boasts a high client satisfaction
the near absence of thoughtful targeting corporates and hotels, rate, indicating the effectiveness
disposal options in India solidified offering a “solution-as-a-service” of their integrated approach.
his resolve. “I decided then, in
2015, that this is what I want to
pursue.” Finally, BuffIndia was
launched in October 2018.
The approach transcends simply
providing disposal bins. Effective
cigarette waste management
requires a multi-pronged strategy,
including disposal, awareness,
collection and recycling.
“The initial idea was to sell
the bins by creating a unique
design for a disposal option. I
realized that installing bins alone
will not address cigarette waste
management:
First, this required a proper
disposal option, along with the
right public awareness.
Second, even with bins in place,
the waste would still end up in
landfills and cause pollution.
Third, a collection mechanism
was required.

60 MAY 2025•Clean India Journal•www.cleanindiajournal.com