Urban Art, Dialogue with Citizens
Beata é Plástico (Cigarette Butt is Plastic)
The project
Cigarette butts are one the most found items in the oceans worldwide and one of the most dangerous for the earth during its decomposition process. A cigarette butt contains hundreds of toxic substances and the filter contains a type of plastic, making its degradation extremely slow, taking more than 10 years, and never really disappearing.
Estimates tell us that 7,000 butts reach the ground per minute, a total of approximately 10 million per day in Portugal alone. The number of cigarettes consumed in the country is 10 billion a year. Each cigarette butt that is not properly thrown away ends up triggering a cycle of soil and water contamination, putting at risk all the organisms that depend on them.
Behavioral studies tell us that some smokers unconsciously throw the butt to the ground because they do not identify it as garbage and are unaware of its impacts. For this reason, Zero Waste Lab, together with the Office of the European Parliament and the European Commission Representation in Portugal, created an awareness campaign to combat and mitigate the pollution caused by the butts: Beata is plastic (Butt is Plastic).
We invited 4 collectives of artists and creatives to leave their mark on the city's urban furniture, alerting smokers and the general population to the correct deposition of waste, particularly cigarette butts on street bins.
Through art and creativity, we want to send the message that a small change in behavior can contribute to a huge improvement in the environment.
Butt on the floor, no. Butt is plastic.