Week-long Action climaxes in Düsseldorf on Friday's grand finale
The city of Düsseldorf is gearing up for the Cigarette Week, an awareness campaign organized by RhineCleanUp, a non-profit organisation dedicated to maintaining the cleanliness of the Rhine and surrounding areas. The campaign, running from May 23 to May 23, aims to shed light on the environmental impact of discarded cigarette butts and promote solutions to reduce this pollution.
During the week, designated collection points will be set up across the city, providing a convenient way for the public to dispose of cigarette waste responsibly. These collection points are part of RhineCleanUp’s broader efforts to keep public spaces and waterways clean.
To encourage smokers to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly, the campaign promotes the creation of DIY ‘Cigarette Ghost’ ashtrays. These small, portable ashtrays are made from upcycled materials and can be easily carried. The goal is to provide a sustainable alternative to careless littering and raise awareness of cigarette waste’s ecological harm.
The large transparent column at RCU's stand will display the number of cigarette butts collected during the campaign. Anyone bothered by cigarette litter and wanting to participate can do so, including clubs, environmental organisations, companies, and neighbourhood communities.
The Cigarette Ghosts can potentially help prevent the toxins in cigarette filters from washing out into the environment and contaminating groundwater. Scientists believe that one cigarette butt can contaminate up to 40 liters of groundwater.
The "Blockblocks Rhein Cleanup" team offers an additional action during Cigarette Week, using DIY guides to turn empty Tetra Paks or milk cartons into Cigarette Ghosts as makeshift ashtrays.
Joachim Umbach of the RhineCleanUp team considers the carelessness and irresponsibility of many smokers a scandal. Cigarette butts are the most common type of litter in nature and cities, with up to two-thirds of cigarette butts being carelessly thrown on the ground, resulting in 1.5 million butts landing on streets, sidewalks, parks, playgrounds, and other locations in Düsseldorf every day.
Annually, 5.6 trillion cigarettes are smoked worldwide, including 106 billion in Germany, which translates to 795 million butts per year or 2.2 million per day in Germany. The Cigarette Week encourages people to collect at least some of the cigarette remnants to help reduce litter in Düsseldorf.
For those interested in creating their own Cigarette Ghosts, a link to the guide is provided. Those who need organisational support for their Cigarette Week activities can contact RhineCleanUp via email at [email protected] or by phone at 0174 / 267 8636 between 9:00 and 14:00.
The Cigarette Ghosts initiative is an additional way to remove cigarette butts from the environment during Cigarette Week. Most cigarette filters are made of the plastic cellulose acetate, which can take several hundred years to decompose. By taking part in this campaign, everyone can contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment in Düsseldorf.
- The Cigarette Week in Düsseldorf, a campaign focused on climate-change and environmental-science, aims to promote sustainable-living by encouraging the public to dispose of cigarette waste responsibly via DIY 'Cigarette Ghost' ashtrays, made from upcycled materials.
- The collection of cigarette butts during Cigarette Week will be aided by the creation of these Cigarette Ghost ashtrays, which can potentially prevent the toxins in cigarette filters from contaminating the environment and groundwater, as scientists believe one cigarette butt can pollute up to 40 liters of groundwater.
- In addition to the Cigarette Ghost initiative, the 'Blockblocks Rhein Cleanup' team offers DIY guides to convert empty Tetra Paks or milk cartons into Cigarette Ghost ashtrays, further promoting sustainable-living in home-and-garden settings during Cigarette week.
