BENGALURU: Though the Central Pollution Control Board laid down the guidelines for the scientific disposal of cigarette and ‘bidi’ butts in November 2022, it has not been implemented in the city yet.
“Thousands of cigarette butts are disposed of in the city every day. The butts contain harmful chemicals that enter drains, groundwater, soil and pollute the environment.
To prevent environmental hazards that arise due to unmindful disposal of cigarette butts in the city, the BBMP, in line with the National Green Tribunal and CPCB guidelines, has come up with a micro plan for butt collection,” said a source from the Palike.
As part of the micro plan, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), in association with the major cigarette manufacturer ITC, will place separate dustbins at hot spots in the city for the collection of cigarette butts. The butts will then be recycled through end-of-life methods such as waste-to-energy or co-processing.
The onus is on the manufacturers to recycle the butts, and they too have agreed to it in a previous meeting with the BBMP, the source said. Steps are being taken by the state Tobacco Control Cell, falling under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, to get the disposal instructions printed on cigarette packs.
The civic body admitted that scientific collection of cigarette butts has been delayed and blamed cigarette manufacturers for the delay. It has sent a letter to the ITC to carry out the micro plan for butt disposal on a trial basis in two wards in Bengaluru.
The letter, a copy of which is with TNIE, written by the District Tobacco Control Programme, BBMP, dated September 19, instructed the company to take up the micro plan as agreed in its previous meeting with the civic body. If ITC fails to start the micro plan, the Palike stated that it will be forced to take action against the company.