BIN THE BUT

The aim of this project was to develop a new brand and innovative product to help educate smokers on how to dispose of their cigarettes sustainably.
​
Cigarette butts are the number one most littered item in the world, with 4.5 trillion being discarded worldwide annually. Cigarette filters are made of a plastic called cellulose acetate, when tossed into the environment. They pollute with not only that plastic, but also the nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals. By utilizing the properties of Oyster mushrooms which specialise in breaking down some of nature's toughest materials, we can condition the fungi to learn to produce the correct enzymes to digest toxins from used cigarette butts. Consequently reducing the degradation time from 10-13 years to 3-5 months, with the help of the mushroom.