Maxibin – No Butts About it! - Green Family Guide

Did you know that about 4.5 trillion cigarettes are discarded each year worldwide, making them the most littered item on Earth? A 2020 study undertaken by Peter Ryan of UCT found that South Africa follows the international trend of cigarette butts consistently being the most littered plastic item collected in urban and coastal clean-ups, with South Africans consuming about 23.49 billion cigarettes each year. Over 15 billion (almost 65%) cigarette butts are thrown away onto the streets and end up in waterways, beaches and the ocean.

Cigarette butts (apart from being a fire-hazard) are toxic, as they contain nicotine, heavy metals, and many other chemicals. They also do not biodegrade as the filter is made of a plastic called cellulose acetate. This makes them hazardous for birds, marine and aquatic life as well as being detrimental to ground and other water sources.

In addition, despite the known health risks associated with smoking, smoking is actually on the increase and even more so with the introduction of flavoured tobacco products and e-cigarettes And, as was evidenced during the tobacco ban in South Africa, smoking is a tough habit to break.

Without Extended Producer Regulations in place for cigarette manufacturers, the responsible disposal of cigarette butts has become increasingly problematic. Whether for municipalities in public spaces, businesses in office parks and shopping centres, or individuals who do not have a satisfactory means of disposing of their butts. The problem has been exacerbated by the Tobacco Products Control Act which forced smokers into public spaces or designated smoking areas, and unfortunately the practice of casually ‘flicking’ cigarette butts into the street or out of a car window has become almost automatic and is seen as an “acceptable” form of littering.

Introducing Maxibin

Maxibin provides an integrated solution for cigarette butt disposal, both in public, private or commercial spaces, as well as for personal and home use to ensure cigarette butts do not enter the natural environment and can be responsibly and sustainably disposed of.

Introducing Maxibin Management Team

Maxibin serviced stompie bins – for public, private and commercial spaces

Maxibin stompie bins are free standing, weatherproof, fire retardant and come in various exterior finishes to blend in with the area in which it is placed. Made from concrete, the bins are solid and heavy and cannot be easily moved or vandalised.

Maxibin stompie bins can be branded or display educational information, public service messages or other advertising.

Maxibin stompie bins can even accept lit cigarettes and are designed to prevent odours being emitted.

Maxibin stompie bins can take approximately 400 cigarette butts before they require emptying.

Under the Maxibin service contracts the Stompie Bins are serviced twice a month by BBBEE certified cleaners. The entire contents of the Maxibin Stompie Bins are removed by the cleaners and taken off-site for weighing and safe disposal. Increasing job creation through using BBBEE certified cleaners could positively contribute towards your company’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Preferential Procurement targets. The cigarette butts are currently disposed of at lined sanitary landfills where there is continuous monitoring of environmental impacts, and they will no longer pose a risk to the natural environment.

COMING SOON!

Maxibin is proud to partner with ocean-i, a South African ocean-impact company driving innovative solutions towards addressing ocean plastic pollution such as cigarette butts, at source. In addition to developing new ways to maximise the recovery of cigarette butts, ocean-i is also investigating ways to recycle butts into new products and applications.

ocean-i cigarette butt disposal kit – for personal and home use

The COVID lock-down resulted in a reduction of smokers in public and commercial spaces as people were forced to stay at home, and/or chose to work from home – a situation that will most likely continue into the future. For this reason ocean-i recently piloted and will soon be rolling out the ocean-i cigarette butt disposal kit and home collection service.

The hygienic and easy-to-use ocean-i cigarette butt disposal kit is ideal for those working from home or spending time on the road, but equally for anyone who smokes outdoors. The ocean-i cigarette butt disposal kit includes an ashtray, pocket pouches, sealable butt disposal bags and storage bucket.

To ensure cigarette butts do not enter the natural environment via disposal into home dustbins which end up in general landfill, and can be responsibly and sustainably disposed of, ocean-i will offer to collect the cigarette butts from your home. Collections will be easily arranged using ocean-i #nobutts app and done by BBBEE-certified drivers.

Maxibin is encouraging entities to urge their staff or customers to sign up for an ocean-i cigarette butt disposal kit for use at home and on the move.

Features and benefits of the ocean-i Personal Cigarette Butt Disposal Kit

Convenient sealable pocket ash tray can be used for extinguishing and placing cigarette butts on-the-go

• Hygienic and user-friendly table ash-tray

• Sealable, odour-proof intermediate storage bags for disposal of butts from pocket and table ash trays

• Hygienic and odour-free sealed storage container in which to keep the intermediate bags until collection

• No more ash spillages and stinky butts!

• Cigarette butts are kept separate from other waste destined for landfill

• ocean-i’s convenient #nobutts app to manage delivery of kit and collection of cigarette butts directly from your home

ocean-i cigarette butt disposal kit and cigarette butt home collection service will be a cost effective solution for the conscientious smoker.

ocean-i Research & development into recycling of cigarette butts

Along with Maxibin’s ongoing commitment to collect cigarette butts to completely remove them from the natural environment and general landfills, we are supporting ocean-i’s research and development into the recycling of the butts. A portion of the servicing costs of the stompie bins will be utilised towards funding such Research and Development initiatives.