According to Slovak media Ciclovivo, the municipal waste management company Odvoz a Likvidácia Odpadu (OLO) in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, has proposed an innovative plan to convert cigarette butts into asphalt for road construction to reduce the pollution of cigarette butts to the ocean. .
The city is preparing to set up dedicated collectors at public events to collect cigarette butts. Martina Čechová, Circular Economy Manager at OLO, said, “If participants at festivals, competitions, exhibitions or other urban events can throw cigarette butts into the trash can, it will not only help clean the environment, but also contribute to environmental protection. Substantial recycling of this waste adds value.”
The waste materials collected by the city government will be converted into road asphalt in cooperation with two companies, SPAK-EKO and EcoButt. By using cigarette butt filters as an additive in the production of asphalt mixtures.
The EcoButt website explains that the idea stemmed from a study published in Australia in 2017 that discussed the use of cigarette butt filter fibers in the construction industry. In 2019, EcoButt collaborated with an authorized laboratory to publish a research report on the physical and mechanical properties of asphalt made from cigarette butt waste. The results showed that using cigarette butt filters as a mixing agent will not affect its properties.
In addition, EcoButt has developed a cellulose acetate pellet material that replaces ordinary cellulose pellets. This material does not require the use of wood but is made from cigarette butt waste. In this way, the use of forest wood can be avoided, while also turning a problematic waste product into a useful resource. Bratislava City Hall also hopes to make its streets cleaner in this way.
EcoButt said research shows that a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 5 liters of water, which is harmful to life. The company's services include everything from collecting cigarette butts, setting up dedicated bins and converting the material into asphalt.
Previously, special containers for collecting cigarette butts have been put into use at common handicraft Christmas markets in Europe, and can collect ordinary cigarette butts as well as e-cigarettes. The company has also produced an example of paving a road in Žiar nad Hronom with asphalt from cigarette butts. Although the details of this road have not yet been made public, the addition of the capital suggests that projects using asphalt from cigarette butts have great potential.
