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From stubs to soft toys, an Indian factory reprocesses cigarette ends

From stubs to soft toys, an Indian factory reprocesses cigarette ends

Wednesday, October 05, 2022, 13:23 GMT+7
From stubs to soft toys, an Indian factory reprocesses cigarette ends
Soft toys made using recycled fibre separated from cigarette filter tips are seen at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Sitting on the floor of a house on the outskirts of New Delhi, women smile and chat as they fill brightly coloured toy bears with white stuffing made from a product more commonly found in a trash can.

The material is composed of cigarette stubs, separated into fibres and cleaned and bleached after being gathered from the city streets where they had been discarded along with millions of others.

A worker scoops cigarette filter tips using a dustpan at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

A worker scoops cigarette filter tips using a dustpan at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Reprocessing them into a range of products including toys and pillows is the brainchild of businessman Naman Gupta.

"We started with 10 grams (of fibre per day) and now we are doing 1,000 kilogrammes ... Annually we are able to recycle millions of cigarette butts," he told Reuters from his factory on the outskirts of the Indian capital.

Naman Gupta, founder of Code Effort, a company that recycles cigarette butts, poses for a picture at his factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Naman Gupta, founder of Code Effort, a company that recycles cigarette butts, poses for a picture at his factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

His workers also separate out the butts' outer layer and tobacco, which are turned into recycled paper and compost powder respectively.

The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 267 million people, nearly 30 per cent of India's adult population, are tobacco users, and butts litter urban streets where general cleanliness standards are abysmally low.

"(So) working here also helps keep our environment clean," said Poonam, a worker in Gupta's factory who gave only her first name.

Recycled fibre made from cigarette filter tips is seen in a cotton gin machine at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Recycled fibre made from cigarette filter tips is seen in a cotton gin machine at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Women workers make soft toys using recycled fibre separated from cigarette filter tips at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Women workers make soft toys using recycled fibre separated from cigarette filter tips at a cigarette butts recycling factory in Noida, India September 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Reuters

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