Waste removal and recycling company WRAPP is sponsoring the Kiickbutt initiative to demonstrate the magnitude of  the damage caused by the irresponsible discarding of cigarette butts.

“As you walk along the beach or take a hike anywhere in the country this festive season you will find cigarette butts scattered all over the place, defacing the natural beauty of your surroundings,” says WRAPP CEO Clive Amsel.

The company has fabricated giant cigarette butts out of decommissioned  telephone poles and is setting them up strategically in places where people come to enjoy outdoor leisure activities.

These ‘in-your-face’ installations have already caused a stir in places like Llandudno beach and Lion’s Head in Cape Town.

Further locations have been identified by the company for similar installations over the next few months, including Scarborough, Fishhoek, Platteklip Gorge, Umhlanga, and the Cederberg mountains.

“There are cigarette butts strewn all along the Platteklip Gorge trail leading to the top of Table Mountain,” says Amsel.

“I have personally collected a two litre bottle full of them while hiking up there recently.”

He says WRAPP was motivated to support the Kiickbutt initiative by the company’s passion for responsible waste removal.

This connects with the core of its business, to provide fast and responsible waste removal through its mobile app, which connects entrepreneur truck owners directly with customers, enabling bookings to be confirmed in a few seconds.

WRAPP stands for Waste Recycling Application.

It is important to engender a culture of environmental responsibility, especially when it comes to waste, which is threatening the future of the planet, says Amsel.

He says the idea behind the Kiickbutt initiative is to encourage as many people as possible to do their bit towards reducing toxic waste caused by discarded cigarette butts.

“It is a personal choice whether or not to smoke, but at least throw the discarded cigarette butts into the nearest waste bin.”

The Kiickbutt initiative can be followed on Instagram and Facebook.

Multiple sources report that a cigarette butt takes between 18 months and 10 years to decompose. 

The basis of most cigarette filters, which looks like white cotton, is a form of plastic known as cellulose acetate. 

Moreover, these filters – which are on cigarettes in the first place to absorb contaminants to prevent them from going into the lungs – contain trace amounts of toxins such as cadmium, arsenic, and lead.

These toxins leach into the ground and waterways, damaging living organisms along the way.

Added to this, they are typically discarded with some tobacco still attached to them, further polluting the environment with toxic nicotine.

“It also creates a fire hazard when people throw them away while they are still smouldering,” says Amsel.

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About WRAPP
WRAPP (Waste Recycling App) is an innovative tech start-up that makes waste management simple, transparent and reliable. Via an easy-to-use application, it creates work opportunities for independent truck owners by connecting them with customers who need waste removed from their worksites. Small businesses, construction companies, shopping centres, renovators, housing complexes, homeowners and more book their truck or skip, and local drivers and loading teams collect the waste for responsible disposal – all tracked and recorded online. A South African-born world first, WRAPP is a member of the Institute of Waste Management South Africa and a City of Cape Town-accredited waste services provider.