Innovation Not Incineration!
Over 129 billion face masks get sent to landfill each month worldwide
Since the beginning of the pandemic, it is hard to comprehend the amount of disposable face masks that have been mandatorily used around the world, then discarded and sent to landfill!
Whilst, for a time, they were an integral part of keeping the nation safe and reducing the spread of the Coronavirus, they have also now caused significant pressure on the environment.
Disposable face masks are typically made of polypropylene, which breaks down into microplastics and ends up in seas and rivers causing consequential harm to sea creatures and eventually re-entering our food chain.
Shropshire Council's senior health and safety officer, Tim Tearle, has reached out to us, wanting us to help him safely repurpose over 10,000 masks. Due to the products 'use by date', the Shropshire Council would have to pay significant amounts to safely incinerate these products to avoid sending them to landfill. Tim is also an innovative thinker and thanks to this partnership, we can confidently say that the facemasks will be repurposed in an imaginative and environmentally friendly manner!
We have been actively brainstorming with our 300,000 members and have already received some fantastic support and suggestions from our visitors and followers. Some ideas emerging include creating a giant Coronavirus sculpture or even a Boris Johnson bust! We are excited about the prospect of recycling these unused facemasks to create a magnificent piece of art.
Whilst the face masks have reached their sell-by date, they are not a perishable item and are still completely sterile, we believe they should be utilised! Living in an active war zone, the people of Gaza have fled their homes and are now living with unfathomable living conditions and food shortages in evacuation centres that are riddled with flu, sickness, life threatening injuries and infections. A simple facemask, that was due to be incinerated, could be vital in protecting these innocents from further despair.
We are desperate to find a solution to this waste. Some of our ideas also include creating emergency first aid supplies for war zones, sanitary reserves for third world countries, eco-friendly cleaning cloths, or even shredded and turned into bedding and new textiles!
