Alongside the various social and economic problems that came with the pandemic, another problem has arisen which needs our immediate attention – used PPE kits and masks being a major source of pollution. According to a report by The New Indian Express, such medical waste is being thrown outside hospitals due to lack of waste management methods. This puts waste collectors at risk as they might contract the virus via the disposed PPE kits and masks.
In order to curb this particular environmental crisis, a 27-year-old environmentalist from Gujarat, Binish Desai, is creating eco-friendly bricks out of disposed PPE kits and masks, reports News18. He is now popularly being called “The Recycle Man of India”.
Each of the bricks contains 52% of shredded PPE and masks, 3% of the binder, and 45% of paper waste. They are also water-repellant, fire retardant, and pest resistant. They are 12 x 8 x 4 inches in size and uses 7 kg of biomedical waste per square foot. They are also light, strong, and cost Rs 2.8 per piece versus a normal brick which costs Rs 4 per piece.
“Face masks are a part of the new normal and they are adding to plastic pollution. The idea was to manage the waste by recycling and utilising it for something better,” Binish tells NDTV.
“Nothing is useless in this world. What can be a waste to you is someone else’s asset,” he adds.
Binish Desai has a PhD in Environmental Science and Technology. He is the Chairman of E.E. Tech Group has been working on waste management since the past many years. He became popular after his innovation ‘P-block bricks’ – bricks made out of waste produced by paper mills, reports NDTV.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, India generates 101 Metric Tonnes per day of COVID-19 related biomedical waste.
We hope Binish’s innovation helps in reducing the drastic effects such amounts of waste can have on the environment!