These new cigarettes offer the satisfaction of a cigarette and the eco-friendly properties of a “rollie”.
By Andrea Green-Thompson
Protecting and saving the planet is a huge task. To accomplish any task, you must take it step by step, problem by problem. Davide Scott and Adam van Wyngaarden have tackled one such problem together.
It’s difficult to ignore the cigarette butts that litter UCKAR campus and our streets. It’s almost second nature for a smoker to flick a cigarette out of a car window or onto the ground. What we often fail to think about, is whether or not those butts will ever decompose. The micro-plastic in a regular butt is not biodegradable and will have harmful effects on the ecosystem.
Scott and van Wyngaarden have developed Woodland Craft Cigarettes, a cigarette with biodegradable butts. The cigarette will disappear 2-3 months after it is exposed to the elements. It’s an incredibly viable solution and a small step closer to global environmental change.
They do acknowledge that smoking is a terrible habit; both for people and the planet. Nevertheless, this development has slightly lessened the blow on the environment. Xander Gowar – the Makhanda sales manager – made the comment that “smoking should only harm humans, not the planet”.
Woodland Craft Cigarettes are ethical and biodegradable. It’s also nice to see that the product materials are sourced exclusively from Africa. Read the full story on their website www.smokeytreats.co.za. On the outside: the paper is unbleached, the ink is soy and the packaging can be recycled. Inside is a “delicious African tobacco” with no artificial additives.
This is not to say that these cigarettes are healthier than the regular cigarettes. It simply means that the butts that smokers throw on the ground will not have as big of an impact on the planet.
If you feel guilty about your butts, this is the perfect solution to make your “dirty lil’ habit, a lil’ bit greener”.