Cloth, surgical or hospital masks: learn how to dispose of them correctly

Wearing a mask is essential to protect ourselves and those around us. However, simply wearing the item is not enough: to avoid contamination, it must be cleaned and disposed of correctly. According to the Akatu Institute , after almost a year of the pandemic, Brazil could end up discarding more than 12.7 billion fabric masks , taking into account that each one of them can be washed up to 30 times and that a Brazilian has, in average, five of them. In volume, this amount of waste would be enough to fill more than 9,000 50 m² apartments or to fill 457 Olympic swimming pools. Cloth masks are reusable and must be sanitized before each new use. The WHO indicates that this type can be washed up to 30 times before proper disposal . Wash with soap or detergent, preferably with hot water. However, after its use, Once their validity period expires, they will be disposed of in the same way as disposable and hospital models: in the common waste . But before discarding them, you need to take some precautions. Check out the tips from the Akatu Institute.

• To avoid contaminating people who handle our waste, place used masks in a bag and identify them as used items. Dispose of them in the organic waste bin.
• Avoid throwing masks in street trash cans to prevent solid waste collectors from coming into contact with contaminated materials. For the same reason, do not dispose of masks with materials destined for recycling.
• If you are out and about, dispose of your mask in a bathroom trash can or leave it in the regular trash can when you get home.
• Never throw it away on the street to prevent it from ending up in rivers and oceans or clogging drains. The American Chemical Society estimates that 129 billion masks and 65 billion gloves are discarded each month worldwide.

Masks that become visors

Masks that turn into bricks

In India, Binish Desai , founder of Eco Eclectic Technologies, created Brick 2.0 , a brick made from discarded masks, paper and a substance that binds the components together. After being disinfected, the PPE is crushed, mixed and placed in a mold, where they dry for three days. According to the company, each brick reuses 7 kg of waste for every square meter produced . It is also waterproof, fire-resistant, lighter and more resistant than ordinary bricks.

Masks that turn into asphalt

Although it is just one study, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) in Australia have tested how to turn used disposable masks into asphalt. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment , proposes that shredded masks could be mixed with construction waste to create asphalt. And since most PPE is made primarily from plastics, including polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and nitrile butadiene rubber, the proposed methodology can be applied to a variety of equipment, not just masks. [newsletter]