Innovative solutions to reduce the impact of covid waste
As a result of Covid-19, the whole world became unstable. As a result, various problems were created. One of them is the huge amount of plastic waste created by the use of face masks. This has become a huge problem. There can be multiple solutions to any problem. Let’s take a look at some innovative solutions to this global problem.
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Automatic facemask recycling system
James Dyson, a student at Warsaw University of Technology in Poland, has received an award for inventing an instrument. With the help of this device, the medical mask can be cleaned and used anew. It is possible to control the amount of plastic waste in the environment. They have named this invention Xtrude Zero. The face mask is first inserted into this device. The device uses it to make recyclable plastic pellets.
In the whole process the masks are first cut and separated into different layers before being sliced. The cut piece is then heated and attached to form an unbroken slice of filament. The filaments are then cut into pieces with a rotary blade and converted into a pellet. Finally the pellets are disinfected with the help of ultraviolet rays before being removed.
Due to the small size of the device, it can be placed in any crowded place. As a result, ordinary people can use it easily. Again, the device is made in a modular design. That is, individual parts have been used in it. As a result, it can be easily made into a larger size and more face masks can be recycled.
Again the device is based on the technology of vending machines. This technology is already widely used. As a result, it is possible to start production easily using existing technology and infrastructure.
Made plastic tools using abandoned facemasks
A student in the design department at Keun University in South Korea has come up with a way to collect thousands of discarded face masks from his campus and recycle them to produce tools of different colors. The idea of this student named designer Hanuel Kim was to create a tool that can be folded with an abandoned face mask.
He took this initiative with the aim of creating public awareness about the extent to which face masks that are discarded once used are harming the environment. Kim called his initiative ‘Stack and Stack’. Kim believes this initiative will be an example of how to save our land and sea from the waste of used face masks.
Kim puts a box on her campus to collect masks and regularly collects masks from there. He then set the masks apart for a while. These masks are then melted and the pulp is made using hit songs. The product that comes last, does not require any glue or resin to attach.
The whole product is made by reusing the face mask. No other ingredients are used. In this way it has been possible to make tools in marble, white, blue and pink patterns without even using different colors.