BUTZ went into production 18months ago, since then the ashtrays have propelled sales to over £250,000.

It has a burgeoning order book and already counts Manchester Airport, Apollo Cinemas, Moto, Welcome Break, Mobil Offshore and Oldham, Midlothian and Southwerk Council among its clients. And thats before the various independent businesses such as pubs, clubs and resteraunts are counted.

Barry Whittam explains ” The idea for the product came to me when i was having a Sunday afternoon drink with some friends. The cigerette bins installed by the pub were dirty, tired and required a key to empty them - they were disgusting for the staff to attend to.

I realized that the ideal solution was to incorporate a fire retardant, dissposable container - and from here BUTZ was born.
The ashtrays can be easily removed from the dispenser and replaced on a daily basis with a fresh one.

I have been delighted with the sucess of the company over the past 18months, and we continue to recieve inquiries from around the world. Our products are also being looked at by major hotel chains - including ‘The Hilton Group’ as well as airports in the Gulf.

Earlier this week, Barry was among a delegation of 150 British entrpreneurs invited to visit the Prime Minister and Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Skills, at 10 Downing Street.