Millions of used masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and other medical waste is piling up in landfills and becoming a major cause of environmental pollution across the world currently. Coronavirus waste has become a new form of pollution as single-use PPEs and masks also flood our oceans. But this 27-year-old environmentalist and innovator from Gujarat has a unique solution to this problem. Called The Recycle Man of India Binish Desai (27) is creating eco-friendly bricks by recycling PPE kits and masks made from non-woven fabric to help decrease their burden on the environment.
His start-up Eco Eclectic Technologies, a Gujarat-based company that creates usable things from waste, has already produced over 150 products, derived from 57 different types of waste and it is still growing. "Our new innovation called Brick 2.0 is durable, lightweight and strong and will be used to solve the big problem posed by this protective gear ending up in landfills and creating an increased amount of waste around us. We have made bricks from waste materials earlier too but these will be cost-effective and serve a greater purpose," says Binish. The P-bricks, the earlier version of the bricks that the start-up developed, was mainly made from paper waste, leftovers of chewing gum, some organic binders, and plant extracts.
How will they collect medical waste? Binish plans to introduce something called Eco Bins, which will help them to collect the waste generated in hospitals, police stations, other places where the staff or people are using PPE kits and medical-grade masks. "Even in large housing colonies where there is a lot of use of masks, the idea is to collect all of these and once the boxes get filled, we will be keeping it for 72 hours as per pollution guidelines. Before we touch it and begin the de-sanitisation process, it will be first put in the disinfectant chambers that we are in the process of creating. Then we can start using it. Following this, we will mix it with the special, organic binders that we have developed specifically for this brick," Binish adds explaining the process.
The bricks will contain 52 per cent of PPE and mask waste, three per cent of the binder and 45 per cent paper waste. They will be water-repellant, fire retardant and pest resistant. "We have created the necessary documents and proposals, but once we reopen properly after the COVID situation, we can get it going. We are using this time to add more facilities to our manufacturing unit in Surat, Gujarat," adds Binish.
Once developed, these bricks can be used for construction purposes. However, Binish tells us it is his dream to build cost-effective, portable isolation wards that can be supplied across the country easily. "It will come in handy as and when required during this time or even later. It will be like an emergency ward that can be shifted in case of emergencies. This is like our dream project. Apart from that, it can be used to construct schools, toilets, buildings and more," explains Binish.
Signing off, Binish adds that they are working on collaborations to happen with NGOs, local organisations, government organisations to help them collect the waste. "We want to place the bins everywhere for easier collection. We are currently in talks with the municipal corporation in Surat and hope that it will work out," he concludes.
