Spitting ain't cool. Really. Spitting releases saliva in the air and on the ground increasing the risk of spread of COVID-19, states the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. We face severe sanitation problems, India is rapidly facing the gigantic challenges of communicable diseases from spitting — such as the spread of Coronavirus, Tuberculosis, Swine Flu etc. Spitting in public leading to the subsequent spread of virus and bacteria has become a major issue in these testing times. However, these bright minds — three engineers Ritu Malhotra, Prateek Malhotra and Pratik Harde credited with the setting up of a start-up Design it Ezy in Nagpur, has developed EzySpit – the world’s first-of-its-kind mobile spittoon to solve this issue.
"Inspired by the ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’, we decided to innovate and develop a unique product which can be carried in pockets and allows people to spit. Digging deep into data, repeated trial-and-error and few pilot experiments finally gave birth to out brainchild EzySpit We started research on this product in 2016 and EzySpit was launched in October 2019," says Ritu, one of the founders of EzySpit. The invention is an effective tool to combat the Coronavirus. When people spit in EzySpit, it locks down the bacteria and viruses within few seconds and prevents them from coming in contact with air. Ezyspit converts your spit into biodegradable waste in semi-solid form. Moreover, the materials inside the spittoon solidify the droplets of saliva within a matter of seconds and trap the microbes present inside. The spittoon's material is developed in such a way that it exudes fragrance while remaining odourless, tamper-proof, and spill-proof even after spitting. "As we are locking the source, the spread of the diseases gets controlled. The spittoon is specifically designed to provide users with a re-usable, convenient socially responsible place to deposit the refuse generated almost on a daily basis," adds Ritu.
EzySpit comes in three sizes – pocket pouch which can carry spit 15 times, mobile pack (for car, bus etc) which can carry up to 30 spits and commercial refill pack (public places) which can take around 3000 spits — they cost Rs 10, 20, 280 respectively. While the glass and the pouch are handy products, they have developed a bin that can be used in public or commercial spaces. The Indian Railways has recently approved the EzySpit cup, pouch vending machines and bins for installation in stations across the country.
Speaking about how they first came up with the idea of developing a spittoon, Ritu tells us, "The foremost issue that came to our minds when we decided to undertake a social responsibility initiative, was ending this obnoxious habit of public spitting. After conducting public surveys in different cities, we concluded that there isn’t any way to stop people from spitting whether patients or tobacco addicts. Most of our daily activities have defined locations, right? If you need to answer nature’s call, you go to the washroom; if you want to smoke, you go to a smoking zone. But what do you do when you have the urgent need to spit? Many walls read ‘You cannot spit here’. In the absence of a dedicated space, the imperative question was where should people spit? Our innovation comes into play here."
Human-to-human spread of the Coronavirus happens through either close contact with an infected person or by inhaling their respiratory droplets. "Salivary droplets transmit several viruses such as Coronavirus, rhinovirus, flu virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and type 1 herpes, among others. During a pandemic, public spitting exponentially increases the chance of community transmission of the virus. For instance, COVID-19 can survive in the air for up to three hours, according to WHO. EzySpit spittoon could be used in hospitals. It prevents the spread of germs and bacteria from one person to the next It helps prevent doctors, paramedical staff and nurses on the job and makes for a safer, secure work environment," says Ritu, speaking on the relevance of their innovation in the current scenario.
In view of the expected increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 in the upcoming days, the team is providing EzySpit spittoons to seven state governments be used for patients in hospitals, isolation wards and quarantine facilities. As for their future plans, Ritu says, "EzySpit should reach each individual pocket in the upcoming days as it is a need of the hour."
