Cigarette butt disposal
It is a well known fact that tobacco is harmful for the human health, but it is often disregarded as how much it impacts the environment. Throughout its lifecycle, right from crop production to its post usage waste, cigarettes leave a huge negative footprint on the planet.
While ideally ending smoking could solve all problems associated with tobacco, it is important to acknowledge that disposal of cigarette butts is a problem that persists in today’s world.
This projects aims to combat the issue of cigarette butt disposal.
Problem Statement
“To design a solution for safe storage and disposal of cigarette butts for smokers who are on the go”
Persona
John Doe
Regular smoker
Smokes on his commute
Uses public transport
Always in a hurry
Our user is be nearly any smoker. He smokes on his way to the bus stop. After smoking he looks around and sees no trashcan in sight so he flicks his cigarette butt onto the ground.
User Research
Firstly, the context of smoking was mapped. Roughly 70% of our repliers said to be smoking on the go, and 60% to do it at home. This is important, because it proves that our target group of smokers on the go is big enough to be of importance.
The second important insight we found was that the willingness of people to walk around with a cigarette butt in their hand until they find a trashcan to dispose of it, is incredibly low. As seen to the right, only 19% - which is roughly 1/5 people - said to be willing to do that, whereas 57% declare it would be unlikely for them to carry it around.
Further, we learned that people smoking on the go and then throwing their cigarettes on the ground is a big thing. As seen to the right, 31% of our repliers said to mostly throw their cigarette butts on the ground, hereby confirming our problem statement.
Ideation
We carried out three waves of ideation, before we could finalize on some concepts. We used techniques like collective brainstorming and brain drawing.
In our first wave focused primarily on changing the design of the box and the packaging. As the brainstorming sessions progressed, we explored new avenues and were able to come up with more interesting ways to tackle the problem at hand.
The brain drawing session was particularly insightful and helped us come up with come of our more innovative concepts. They were more complete as people augmented every idea with their personal insights.
Analysis and Choice
Weighted Criteria Method
Form Study
It is ideal for the product to fit into the pocket of the user, while keeping the ash and butts intact. In an attempt to explore the perfect form for the product, several aspects of design were explored like
SHAPE
An Oval Shape
A Rectangular Shape
Organic Shapes
PLACEMENT OF TRASH BIN
At the Center
On the Sides
CLOSURE MECHANISM
Lid Mechanism
Sliding Mechanisms
Flipping Mechanisms
Prototype and User test
We understood the importance of smell, style, and cleanliness with respect to what the users expected from the product. People were excited about the possibility of this product but their concerns gave us more to think about.
Sustainability & Circular Economy
Product Lifecycle: Triple Bottom Line
HIGHER PROFITS
The New Cartridge system reduces the Cigarette packaging by 50% and removes the unwanted plastic cover from the box. This saves costs for the company and significantly simplifies logistics
HAPPIER PEOPLE
The user now has a new metal durable box for his cigarettes which is not only stylish but also acts as a mobile ashtray. Also, returning cartridges with cigarette butts gives him a monetary cashback of 50 Cents, which incentivizes him to become a sustainable Smoker
GREENER PLANET
The returned butts now can be sold to the startups that recycle these butts to build products like bricks, pillows, jackets, etc after treating them.They no longer end up in landfills and oceans, resulting in a cleaner earth.
Life-Cycle Analysis
The LCA showed that even if only 20% of the butts are recycled from the new cartridge system, the environmental impact reduces by 32%. Given that the solution is implemented by the leading tobacco enterprises of the world, the impact can be doubled to 60% reduction in environmental burden if 80% of the butts are recycled.
The number doubles over years; so as time passes, the solution has the potential to negate the burden of unrecycled cigarette butts on the planet, if implemented perfectly.