Employees of Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport created a pitch-black lung installation using thousands of cigarette butts collected on May 31 World No Tobacco Day.
A striking environmental and health awareness project was carried out at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (ISG) as part of May 31 World No Tobacco Day. Thousands of cigarette butts collected from the airport campus were placed inside a transparent lung installation displayed in the terminal, visually demonstrating the harm tobacco use causes both to human health and the environment.
Launched with the slogan “Because; it’s called LUNGS after all!”, the project attracted passengers’ attention with the pitch-black lung image displayed in the terminal. The event aimed not only to promote environmental cleanliness but also to highlight the scale of invisible pollution.
A Social Awareness Movement from ISG Employees
ISG employees voluntarily participated in the event organized with a focus on social benefit. Thousands of cigarette butts were collected as part of the environmental cleanup conducted across the airport campus.
The collected waste was brought together inside a specially designed transparent plexiglass installation shaped like lungs. The resulting black image transformed the effects of tobacco on human health into a visual metaphor.
“Clean Environment, Healthy Society” Message
In their joint statement, ISG employees emphasized that cigarette butts are not only an individual waste issue but also a global environmental problem.
“On May 31 World No Tobacco Day, we brought this invisible pollution to a place where everyone can see it. Quit smoking, take action today for a clean breath and a shared future,” the team stated, adding that they aimed to increase social awareness regarding environmental sensitivity.
Cigarette Butts Make Up 40 Percent of Urban Waste
According to Anglia Ruskin University data, approximately 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded into nature worldwide every year. Research reveals that cigarette butts alone make up nearly 40 percent of urban waste.
ISG volunteers also carried out an extensive environmental cleanup around metro exits, parking areas, and open campus zones in order to draw attention to this global threat.
It Takes Up to 10 Years for Cigarette Butts to Decompose in Nature
It was emphasized that approximately 6 trillion cigarette butts produced every year mix into seas and oceans, threatening marine life, while these wastes take nearly 10 years to fully decompose in nature.
The transparent lung installation displayed in the terminal made invisible environmental pollution visible and delivered a powerful message to passengers.
They Posed in Front of the Black Lung Wearing White Clothes
ISG employees participating in the event later posed behind the lung installation that had turned black, while wearing white clothing.
It was announced that the photographs taken as part of the project will be exhibited in the terminal during the “Zero Waste Week” events to be organized between June 1-7, 2026, in cooperation with the Istanbul Governorship and the Zero Waste Foundation.
The Airport Terminal Turned Into a Social Awareness Area
ISG management emphasized that airports are not only transportation hubs but also powerful social spaces where public messages reach millions of people.
It was highlighted that terminal areas, where domestic passengers spend an average of 2 hours and international passengers approximately 3 hours, provide an important platform for raising environmental and health awareness.
“Small Waste Can Turn Into Major Disasters”
In ISG’s statement, it was noted that individual waste considered small and insignificant could transform into global environmental problems in the long term.
Among the main messages of the project were increasing environmental awareness, protecting shared public spaces, and strengthening a healthy lifestyle culture.
