Header: Karl Ahnee
Bin Your Butt is the name of a colourful basket made from recycled cigarette filters that recently won one of the categories at the inaugural edition of the Africa International Design Awards (AIDA Awards for short), namely the “Product Design/Eco Design” category. Designed by Nathalie Leung Shing, the whole process of collecting the materials, treating them and manufacturing the final result was done in Mauritius.
The making of Bin Your Butt
Leung Shing created a piece that, while visually traditional, is anything but. It is actually made from used cigarette filters gathered by hand during beach clean-ups in Mauritius, which were carefully treated to be safely reused in a new, much healthier way. Each filter was cut, thoroughly deodorised and prepared before being deemed fit to form the basket.
The basket mixes thread and discarded fabric with the recovered cigarette butts, joined by hand through cross-stitch and embroidery. The stitching helps create the detailed patterns that define the piece, turning a toxic waste material into a bright, touchable piece of fibre art. The final object keeps the look and functionality of a basket, but it is also a crafted statement on litter and plastic pollution.
A hand-stitched photographic catalogue accompanies the basket, made as a three-fold album that records the making of the piece. It includes the stitching methods, different views of the basket and a portrait of the craftivist. It also documents the materials and the steps involved in changing discarded cigarette butts into a single eco-conscious artwork.
A project deeply rooted in sustainability
The project speaks directly to cigarette waste, pointing to the need for smokers to put out cigarettes properly and dispose of them responsibly. Cigarette butts are treated here as a form of plastic pollution, and by giving the material a new form, the project brings attention to the damage caused to beaches and the wider environment. How can it be that there are so many loose cigarette butts that Nathalie can produce multiple baskets?
The sustainability work around Bin Your Butt extends beyond the object itself, as Leung Shing uses radio, television, newspapers and social media to tell the environmental story behind the work. Through these channels, the project reaches audiences outside the gallery or design world and connects the object with public discussion about waste.
The project also includes craftivism workshops in schools, which teach children about responsible waste disposal, sustainability and creative reuse through hands-on experiments. The workshops, therefore, use craft as a practical way to discuss environmental care with young people.
The innovation in this functional art object made from hand-collected cigarette butts lies in taking toxic waste and reworking it through handcraft into an object that can be seen, handled and discussed, while keeping the environmental issue visible.
