A germicidal UV lamp to give a second life to the masks. Since they burst into our lives with the coronavirus, protective masks have become an ecological nightmare: regularly thrown, especially on the sidewalks, they constitute, in addition to dirt, potentially potentially hazardous waste from a point of view sanitary. The phenomenon has become so important, especially in the big cities, that last May the garbage collectors from Lyons had even launched an appeal for good citizenship on social networks.
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A polymer "practically indefinitely recyclable"
But the company Plaxtil, based in Châtellerault, in Vienne, has just found an ecological solution to recycle used masks in tissue and surgical. A process that begins with a decontamination step, using a germicidal UV lamp. In 30 seconds, the mask no longer represents any health hazard. They will then be ground and mixed with other textiles to make "a polymer that becomes recyclable practically indefinitely", explains to the microphone of Europe 1 Olivier Civil, the founder of the company.
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Very diverse second lives
Instead of littering the sidewalk or ending up in an incinerator, your mask can therefore become a choice of "a visor support for protection, a tool for logistics, the aeronautical and even automotive industry". An ecological process supported by the agglomeration of Châtellerault, which has set up collection points for these masks, especially in pharmacies. Devices strategically placed on the public road according to "the places where people wear masks and where they have taken the bad habit of throwing them out," explains Evelyne Azihari, vice-president of the agglomeration.
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And after the pharmacies, Châtellerault intends to go further and is already starting to set up collection points "in supermarkets and at hairdressers". But other companies are also interested, such as the local EDF power station.