If you’ve been perusing any social media platform lately, you’ve surely come across the ‘Churot ko thutto’ movement. A brightly colored yellow tin box, almost a mailbox, but for cigarettes can be found in Basantapur for the sole purpose of collecting Cigarette butts that would otherwise be thrown on roads or the surrounding areas. Churot ko Thutto movement looks to tackle the severe degree of pollution that comes with the rampant, uncontrolled, harmful disposal of these cigarette butts.
As of a research conducted by Earthday.org, Cigarette butts are the most commonly polluted form of plastic, with these tiny toxins numbering to about 4.5 trillion in our environment with 6.5 trillion being sold every year. The scary part about these Cigarette butts isn't in that they number in the trillions, but that their makeup of a very toxic plastic, detrimental to our environment. Taking 10 years to degrade, an individual cigarette butt contains trace-amount of toxins such as Arsenic, Lead and Nicotine that can gradually prove deadly to the ecosystem. Especially when these toxins through the cigarette butts find themselves seeping into our soil and water leading to severe degradation and pollution.
“As a solo-traveller, who's constantly on the road, I believe we’re one with nature, nature gives us so much not just in terms of survival but in terms of our purpose in life too , hence I thought it is essential to always remain protecting and preserving it,” says Santosh Shrestha the founder of the ‘Churot ko Thutto’ Movement. In conversation with NepalNews, Shrestha tells us of his life’s journey and how he eventually came to start this noble cause.
“I’ve always been in the awareness sphere, form working in local schools speaking of topics such as menstruation to trying to set up adventure selling recycled Beer bottle caps and turning them into Bracelets, protecting the environment that I’ve benefited so much from in my own niche way has always driven me.” he adds.
A smoker himself, Shrestha began researching cigarette butts and their science and their use as fertilizers after while partaking he noticed countless of these little fiends plaguing every which corner in the valley. “After my initial research, I decided that we must have this separate box for people to actively make themselves throw their cigarette butts into, because if it's unchecked then it's severely detrimental to the beauty of the valley itself and the ecosystem of the city too!” Shrestha adds.
Shrestha informs NepalNews of his initial plans regarding the now sensational movement. He says he initially thought of streamlining this program across hotels from Boudha to Chabahil, Kathmandu. However Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur being the melting pot of culture, diversity in people that it is, he decided to place his first box in Basantapur, “You find people from all walks of life at this beautiful hub and hence I thought it would be best to reach the most people and raise awareness amongst them”
A movement that started as the brainchild of a humble traveler looking out for the environment, has in hindsight already achieved what it sought out to do, raise awareness about these cigarette butts and their harmful effects. To further the impact and reach this awareness campaign Shrestha says, “We’re initially focusing on collection at this point, in the few months that we’ve run we’ve already collected 20 Kgs of Cigarette butts form one small collection tin alone. After the collection we’ve already set in motion plans to recycle or properly dispose of these cigarette butts in a eco-friendly way”
“I love challenges, thus I took up this project. We're looking to impact change, we also understand that change doesn't happen overnight. Us, youngsters must take the initiative if we are to impact any change in the nation. I hope many more young people get involved in their own movements such as this and help preserve the environment” Shrestha concludes.
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