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Waste from disposable personal protective gear is piling up. What can be done about making and using more sustainable forms of PPE?

The coronavirus pandemic has generated a surge in plastic pollution, counteracting years of efforts to tackle the issue of single-use plastics. Several recycling businesses are attempting to make a dent in this PPE tsunami. E&T looks at the processes and products these firms have developed.

Plastic PPE waste is to be given another life in a ground-breaking recycling collaboration between Heriot-Watt University and Britain’s largest PPE manufacturer, Globus Group.

EU Reporter SHARE: writes Anthea Crowe. Cardiff-based Thermal Compaction Group (TCG) specialises in the manufacture of innovative technology used to recycle single-use, disposable plastic PPE, including surgical tray wraps, drapes and medical-grade face masks. The company was one of the first in the world to develop the new technology and has seen interest in its recycling solutions soar in light of the pandemic. Earlier this year, it unveiled its patented ‘Sterimelt’ device, which thermally compacts polypropylene at 350°C and re-engineers it so that it can be used to make new plastic p...

Recycling mountains of pandemic masks Used to curb the spread of COVID-19, face masks are exacerbating another pandemic: plastic pollution AFP, PAR Researchers in Australia want to transform single-use masks into road material. In the US, the protective gear is recycled into benches. And in France, they are reborn as floor carpets for cars. Used to curb the spread of COVID-19, masks are exacerbating another pandemic: plastic pollution. Around 129 billion disposable masks are used every month around the world, according to the American Chemical Society. A nurse takes a bag of used protective f...