#PuntungItuSampah: Waste4Change and Sampoerna Cooperate in Recycling Cigarette Butts

Jakarta, October 2020 – PT HM Sampoerna Tbk. (Sampoerna), through its umbrella program called Sampoerna untuk Indonesia, cooperates with Waste4Change to launch a cigarette butts recycling trial that is currently ongoing and will last until February 2021. Using the hashtag #PuntungItuSampah (Butts are Waste), this program is one example of Sampoerna’s commitment towards a circular economy and zero-waste to landfill in Indonesia.

The Head of External Affairs Sampoerna, Ishak Danuningrat, stated that in order to realize their commitment, Sampoerna continues to synergize with various stakeholders, starting from communities, the general public, and even the government.

For us, sustainability is one of the most important aspects for the continuity of the company, in which the environment becomes a part of it. The #PuntungItuSampah program is one of the efforts that we did in order to reduce the negative environmental impacts that arise from production, including post-consumer waste.

Ishak Danuningrat, Head of External Affairs, Sampoerna

Waste4Change’s Managing Director, Bijaksana Junerosano, also known as Sano, said that as an organization that supports education and socialization programs between stakeholders to create an ecosystem change in order to realize Circular Economy, Waste4Change supports the effort that is done by Sampoerna.

We supports Sampoerna’s mission through the Sampoerna untuk Indonesia program in managing cigarette butts waste. This program will be conducted together up until February 2021 in order to see which system is the best for recycling cigarette butts.

M. Bijaksana Junerosano, Managing Director Waste4Change

Sano explains that the recycling program is done using two methods: via the Send Your Waste service, in which the butts are sent to either Waste4Change’s office in Bekasi and Sidoarjo and via the #PuntungItuSampah dropbox that are located in 6 different locations in Jakarta: KAUM, Komunal 88, Daiginjo, Three Buns, Tuku Coffee Shop Cipete, dan Tuku Coffe Shop BSD. For more detailed information regarding how to send or drop the cigarette buts, you can check the official page for the recycling program at w4c.id/puntungitusampah.

The #PuntungItuSampah program is expected to be able to reduce the volume of waste accumulated in both the environment and landfills. The butts that are collected will, later on, be processed into various home industry products, namely vegetable midges, raw materials for concrete-based products, and many more.

This program aims to raise awareness and encourage behavior change among adult consumers and the wider general public in regards to cigarette butts waste. Since 2019, Sampoerna untuk Indonesia has also cooperated with Waste4Change in conducting the SRC Festival Indonesia and implement the concept of zero-waste-to-landfill in all of the events that are held in 13 cities in Indonesia.

Ishak also expressed his appreciation to Waste4Change for the supports that are given in creating a more sustainable environment.