The transformation of the protective mask into the scrap material ‘Plaxtil’, a combination of plastic and textile. Photo: africanews.com Made from polypropylene, synthetic fibers and metal, used masks are often thrown in the trash, then buried or burned. Some people even throw masks on the streets, rivers and oceans, harming the natural environment. According to the American Chemical Society, about 129 billion disposable masks are used every month around the world. So researchers and companies are looking for ways to recycle masks, although not currently. is a profitable business. Researchers in Australia are thinking about recycling single-use masks into sugar-making materials. In the US, this medical protective equipment is recycled into benches. In Korea, there are already seats made from disposable masks. And in France, they’re recycled into car mats. Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia) are experimenting with solutions after witnessing the scene of masks being littered on the street. Once disinfected and chopped, the masks can be mixed with treated construction rubble to create a flexible and strong material for road construction. Researchers are looking into their use in construction cement. According to them, it takes three million masks to create 1 km of road. In France, recycling company Tri-o et Greenwished has collected masks from about 30 special locations, including Paris hospitals, TF1 television and Saint-Gobain building materials group, to put them in hospitals. special case for 250 euros ($300)/month. At their recycling plant, the masks are shredded, disinfected, and polypropylene extracted, which is converted into the material used to make floor mats or other plastic car parts. Tri-o et Greenwished has recycled a ton of masks and hopes to process 20 tons by the end of the year. Witnessing the increasing waste caused by disposable masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, interior design student Kim Ha-neul of Kaywon University of Art and Design in Uiwang city, south of Seoul (Korea) Quoc) recycled used masks into stools. To reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, Kim Ha-neul kept these masks in storage for at least 4 days, then removed the rubber bands and metal on the masks. Next, he put the mask into the mold, used a heat spray gun at a temperature of over 300 degrees Celsius to let the mask melt. This is just the beginning of Kim Ha-neul’s success. He is planning to create more furniture from recycled masks, such as chairs, tables and some lamps. However, the above numbers are just “a drop” in the “ocean” of masks being discharged every day globally. About 40,000 tons of masks were packed in France last year without being recycled. This is because making a profit from recycling used masks is still a challenge.

Sabbat (born 1997) speaks personally, but his answer reflects the thoughts of most people born after 1996, collectively known as Generation Z in the US. According to the The Guardian , the generation war between Gen Z and Gen Y (people born between 1982 – 1996) has not been strange for many years. However, the battle is becoming more and more direct thanks to the emergence of social networks and fashion items. The latest focus of the controversy is the skinny jeans (tight jeans) – an item that was once loved by Generation Y, has now been abandoned by Gen Z, derided as an outdated thing, should be thrown away. Generation Z declares that skinny jeans are out of fashion. Photo: Guess. Say no to tight jeans Earlier this year, Gen Z launched a movement to remove skinny jeans from the wardrobe. There are more than 274,000 videos tagged with the hashtag “no skinny jeans” on social media. A video sharing how to “recycle” outdated jeans has attracted more than 410,000 views. Not only calling for Gen Z to respond to the trend, the owner of this video also advised Generation Y to also stop wearing this tight-fitting item to look younger and more fashionable. Everywhere on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook…, young people are showing their hatred of tight pants by throwing, cutting or even burning them. The trend of Generation Z is making many people look back at the early years of the 21st century, when tight pants were once a prominent fashion trend of young people. Skinny jeans have been promoted by many famous stars. Photo: The List. Skinny jeans became widely popular in 2005 after appearing in the autumn-winter collection of the Dior Homme brand in collaboration with designer Hedi Slimane. Pants with 6-7 cm leg sections were sold for nearly 300 USD/piece. Emma McClendon, author of Denim: Fashion’s Frontier , said: “Slimane’s skinny jeans were worn by very thin male and female models. This changed the marketing and styling of jeans from a sexier look. It shifted the jeans market from straight, low-waisted silhouette to a more hermaphrodite and unbelievably skinny look”. Longing for diversity Fashion is cyclical so an item that goes from fad very quickly becomes out of fashion, but a few years later it can return to create a trend. Same goes for tight jeans. Generation Z’s hatred of skinny jeans at the moment cannot predict the future of this item. And as Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh says, these tights are falling out of favor, but certainly not dead and will always find a place in women’s fashion. However, what interests many people is not the future of jeans, but the somewhat extreme attitude of Gen Z to this type of clothing. What makes young people today hate skinny pants so much? According to Emma McClendon, the problem is not only in the fashion taste of each different generation, but also in expressing the new way of thinking of young people in dressing and expressing themselves. Gen Z hates tight pants because they are uncomfortable and restrict the wearer’s figure. Photo: Shutterstock. “Gen Z likes comfortable, looser things. They hate skinny pants because it’s tight, constricts the body. Also, tight pants almost only compliment the skinny body. This goes. contrary to the trend towards the diversity of forms of young people”, Ms. McClendon said. When tight jeans were forgotten, baggy or straight-leg pants took the throne again. At the same time, oversized models are also more known on magazine covers, fashion catwalks. Last September, Versace introduced three plus-size models for the first time. Earlier this year, oversized model Paloma Elsesser appeared on the cover of the magazine Vogue . “There is no doubt about the trend of loose, comfortable, suitable clothing for all body types. This also fits perfectly with Generation Z’s call to protect diversity,” Ms. McClendon said. know.

People in Lao Chai, Y Ty commune clean up the stream flowing through the village. Photo: CX Environmental sanitation criteria in the construction of new rural areas in the highlands are difficult to achieve. However, Y Ty commune (Bat Xat district, Lao Cai) has its own way of doing it. Accordingly, implementing the criteria of environmental sanitation in the construction of new rural areas, people in Lao Chai village, Y Ty commune and many other villages have applied the regulation that if anyone dumps garbage indiscriminately into the stream or throws garbage around the village, will be sanctioned according to “reason 36” of the people here. Specifically, “36” stipulates that anyone who throws garbage indiscriminately will be fined 36kg of live pigs, 20kg of rice and 20 liters of alcohol. The implementation of environmental sanitation criteria in the construction of new rural areas in the highlands encountered many difficulties. However, since the application of reasonable sanctions, people have become more aware to work with local authorities to implement this criterion. In Lao Chai, Y Ty commune, people not only actively clean up the village but also pick up trash from two streams flowing through the village. Lao Chai people bring cement to build inter-village roads. Photo: CX Mr. Ha Ngoc Linh – Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Y Ty Commune said that reason is a common way of calling people, in fact this is a convention, the village convention has been approved by the commune and district after that, only to be approved. apply. The application of conventions and conventions is even more effective than the provisions of the law because the awareness of ethnic minorities is still low. Thereby, people join hands with the local government to build a new rural area Mr. Chu Xe Xa – a resident of Lao Chai village, Y Ty commune, said that in parallel with the implementation of environmental sanitation criteria in the construction of new homes, the people of Lao Chai village know well the necessity of the road. “The previous households’ houses did not have access roads, the way down was registered as the road connecting the surrounding households and also the road in the village. Households without garbage pits were registered as garbage pits. Households without pits were registered as garbage pits. If you use manure for cattle, you will register it as a manure pit. Households that do not have a toilet will register as a latrine with the village head and all households who register to do so will be provided with cement,” said Mr. Xa. Currently, Lao Chai people have been actively implementing two criteria at the same time, namely, environmental sanitation and traffic criteria, with the expectation that Lao Chai will soon complete the criteria for building a new rural area for the future. people’s lives are raised. From there, Lao Chai will become a bright spot and be more known to friends near and far and tourists in the coming years. The concrete road in Lao Chai village, Y Ty commune is about to be completed. Photo: CX In Lao Chai, people’s awareness has been raised somewhat, especially in the construction of new rural areas. Mr. Xa said that building a new village is the State and the people working together and the direct beneficiaries are the people. Therefore, in the construction of new rural areas, it is necessary to have village officials who do their best for the people and for the renewal of society so that the people will follow and follow. Currently, Y Ty is one of the attractive tourist attractions. Y Ty is about 100km from Lao Cai city. To get to Y Ty border commune, you can go from Lao Cai city to Trinh Tuong commune to go to Lung Po – where the Red river flows into Vietnam, then through A Mu Sung to arrive at Y Ty. The roads will go through old forests with old trees, and only a few roofs on the side of the mountain. Living in Lao Chai are mainly Ha Nhi people. They stayed in the log house built of earth, like in a fairy tale. Going to Y Ty is to hunt clouds and admire beautiful scenery, but experiencing the life of Ha Nhi people here is also very interesting. Y Ty is changing day by day thanks to the people and local authorities actively participating in the construction of new rural areas; At the same time, many large corporations have come here to invest in tourism with thousands of billions of dong.

Throughout the apartment space in Thao Dien ward (District 2) where his family lives, from the 4 walls to the ceiling, the window frames and the bedroom are decorated with a series of glass works made by himself. present. They are made entirely of pieces of mirrors and broken glass that are discarded on the street. Levitt see you Zing at noon, because this is a short time in the day when the sun shines directly on the glass “Baby” statue hanging on the first floor of the house and creates a beautiful light effect. Gabriel Meranze Levitt decorates his home with artwork made from recycled glass. “I started making glass items three years ago after meeting old friends in Mexico. During the day, they do their main job, at night they indulge in their own hobbies such as painting, music or making crafts. I was startled to realize that creativity is what I lack in life. Back in Vietnam, I accidentally saw many old glass panels being thrown on the street, so I came up with the idea of ​​​​making works with them,” Levitt shared. Love broken glass “Baby” is a glass work that Levitt inspired by his young daughter. It was a statue of a girl with curly hair dancing. The work weighs about 7 kg, is hung in the corner of the skylight, where the sunlight shines down. “Every time I see my daughter dancing and having fun, I always feel magical. She looks like an angel, full of energy and happiness. I recorded a video, looked closely at her image, and created a work that embodies that spirit. Last Tet holiday, after visiting my wife’s hometown in Tien Giang, I went to Saigon first and focused on finishing as a gift for my children. Levitt took 5 weeks to complete “Baby”. First, he shaped the core of the statue with construction foam, wrapped it with a layer of glass mesh to ensure its sturdiness and limit the shrinkage and expansion of the model when the temperature changed. Finally, glue the mirror pieces on the outermost layer. “Baby” was inspired by Levitt’s image of his lovely daughter. Levitt enjoys talking about the process of making his works. After picking up old glass panels at home, he started to come up with ideas and learn how to cut and grind glass into the desired shape. “I watch many videos on how to work with glasses, but never look for other people’s work. I think when watching and then imitating someone’s work is copying their work, I don’t like that. To this day, I still don’t know if anyone in the world has done the same work as I am doing.” Levitt’s art products sometimes come from improvisation, some come from his concerns about cultural and social issues. The work is called “Storm of Change” inspired by the fight against acute racism in the US. After 3 months, he completed the model and hung it on the ceiling, right in front of the house. The work weighs 15 kg, consists of a cloud (size of 100x50x40 cm) with 3,000 pieces of small square mirrors – symbolizing America as a unified mass – and 130 different colored rain drops, representing the racial diversity, such as whites, blacks, and yellows. Levitt’s latest creation is a table lamp placed in the bedroom. When the lights are turned on, the light reflects through the polished pieces of glass creating an impressive visual effect. The lamp has a height of 106 cm and a weight of 20 kg. Artwork from broken glass of American man. Private world on the rooftop Before moving to Ho Chi Minh City, Levitt lived and worked for an NGO for 3 years in Hanoi for 3 years. In the last year of the project, he met his wife and after only 3 weeks decided to follow her and move to the South. “At first, we just thought about moving here to see if there was an opportunity to stay together for a long time, and also for me to look for something new after my project ended. The love is growing, we now have a little princess. We run a social enterprise together and look for NGO programs to help people in need.” Levitt often spends the evening making products. Recycled glass items have helped him find joy in life, promote creativity and implement many good ideas. The top floor of the house is the “private world” of the American man. The narrow space was lined with collage tools and hundreds of pieces of broken mirrors and glass of all shapes and colors that he had collected over the years. “On the way to work, if I see a piece of glass left behind, I will notice it and come back to bring it home after work. I can’t always find a glass that fits what I want, so I just bring it back and wait until I need it to take it out. I like the patterns and lines of the glass edges after being polished, the light coming on makes them look even more beautiful.” Although it is just a personal hobby, Levitt is always serious and devoted when creating his works. After coming up with an idea for the product, every night after her daughter was asleep, Levitt usually spent about 2 hours working on it. During the day, he has to deal with work, train personnel, at night is when he has absolute focus to do his work. “Not long ago, I had about a week of running out of ideas. Tried so much but couldn’t think of what to do next, I spent some time sitting at a coffee shop thinking and finally coming up with a new idea. For me, making recycled glass is just a personal hobby, but I still need to be serious when pursuing it,” Levitt expressed.

For most of us, the best way to repair broken items is when they look new, cracks and chips are covered. But the Japanese art of Kintsugi follows a different philosophy. Photo: Powell River Peak. Instead of hiding the cracks, Kintsugi makes them part of the restored object, showing their history. This method uses gel lacquer and metal powder (gold, silver, platinum or copper), creating items that are judged to be even more beautiful than the original. Photo: Think Theology. Kintsugi is said to have originated in the 15th century, when a shogun broke his favorite tea bowl and asked for it to be repaired. But after fixing with an iron pin – a popular fix at the time (pictured), the beauty of the bowl was gone. Photo: Knjitea. Frustrated, the shogun asked a craftsman to come up with a more aesthetically pleasing solution, and Kintsugi was born. Although this approach gives the impression that the item is soldered with gold, it was originally a form of lacquer art. Photo: ArtVision360. The fragments are held together with urushi sap. The final layer of lacquer is coated with gold powder and then polished. Retrieving and handling urushi is difficult because the resin is toxic. However, once it dries and hardens, the toxins in the plastic are neutralized, making it safe to use the repaired item. Photo: Deeper Japan. Kintsugi is an extension of wabi-sabi, the philosophy that beauty lies in imperfection and value lies in simplicity. Restoring the debris usually takes up to three months, then let it dry for a few weeks and then coat the grooves with gold. Photo: Leo de Melo. Adding metal powders makes the weld stand out, showing a piece of the history of the piece, as well as showing how important they are to the owner. For example, a tea master would use a bowl repaired with Kintsugi to pay respects to a guest. Photo: Deeper Japan. Today, thanks to new technologies, Kintsugi uses new materials, which have better cohesion and are more durable than the old method. However, the value and meaning behind this art remains intact and has become an inspiration for many contemporary artists. Photo: Deeper Japan.

Always have a jar of apple cider vinegar soaked in the refrigerator in the summer, when insects are raging and can sting you at any time. This is particularly effective because when soaked in apple cider vinegar, the eggshell begins to decompose, allowing the calcium carbonates in them to react with the vinegar to form calcium acetate. An astringent, like zinc oxide and iron oxide lotions, can help soothe, harden, and protect delicate skin.

However, this mixture only has a shelf life of 1 month.

Nursing seedlings

Containers for eggs after use, do not throw them away, but use to incubate seedlings. This is the perfect place to protect plants from animals and weeds.

Egg box used to store handmade things

Keep small buttons, nuts and scrap paper to place in the boxes of the egg box, so it is very convenient to make your handmade things beside you.

Gardening

Crush the eggshell and mix it into the soil for the plant or flower. The eggshell contains calcium, a mineral that is essential for plant growth.

Hair treatment

Illustration.

Make your hair soft and shiny by using a mixture of eggs and olive oil to condition your hair.

Egg shells help sweeten coffee

Using eggshell in coffee sounds strange, but actually this is a pretty good way to sweeten coffee. The alkaline calcium carbonate content in the eggshell can reduce the acidity of the coffee, thus making the coffee less bitter. Furthermore, reducing the acidity in coffee also makes this drink healthier.

You just need to add 5g of crushed or pureed eggshell to the coffee powder you use often and make the coffee as usual.

Clean cooking oil after frying

The cooking oil after frying the food will turn black. You can use a piece of eggshell placed in an oil pan. The eggshell will absorb the carbon particles, making the oil cleaner.

Surely you never expected this special use of onion skin, right? Onion peel contains color molecules, giving you a natural, safe, and non-damaging hair color.

You only need to boil a small handful of onions in the water for about 5 minutes. Cover the pot and wait for the water to cool. Strain and take out the water to wash your hair. Leave for a few minutes and then rinse with clean water. For a good effect, you can do this one more time.

Kill fungi and insects for plants

The scent of the onion peel makes the insects run away. You can use the bark to treat fungus and kill insects in your home garden by mixing 100g of onion skin with 500ml of water in a sealed jar. Leave the jar in a cool place for 7 days and then use.

When using, dilute the onion skin juice with clean water at a ratio of 1:10. Spray the solution evenly over the entire plant to kill fungi and insects.

Onion peels have many unexpected uses that housewives do not know.

Make compost

Like other fruit and vegetable peels, onion skin can also be used as an organic fertilizer for plants. The simplest way to do this is to bury the scallions in the ground so that they decompose naturally.

Used to bake bread

The onion skin functions as a dye. When making bread, you can add a little onion crust. The breads will have a more attractive and glossy yellow color.

Add flavor to soups

For a long time, when you cook soup, you still only use the onion to cook the soup without the peel. It is a waste. The rind, after being washed and added to the soup, can make the dish more delicious and taste sweeter than usual.