When used masks ‘transform’

Medical masks have become familiar items for people around the world since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Used to limit the spread of COVID-19, masks are exacerbating another pandemic, plastic pollution.
Therefore, in some countries, the trend of single-time mask recycling is increasingly being of interest as a solution to protect the environment and still be safe during the pandemic.

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.