- Masks, the PPE
has become an important part of our lives
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But with 3,000,000 masks being disposed of every minute,
they've created an unexpected and huge waste problem.
But one man has stepped up
to stop these masks from further polluting our environment
by turning them into these screwdriver sets,
tightening up our environment one turn at a time.
You might ask, how does a mask make a screwdriver set
out of all things?
Well, keep watching, because that's what we're checking out
in this week's episode.
How are these masks contributing to the climate crisis,
and how are these screwdriver sets made?
And just how does this process help out our environment?
Most importantly, we're gonna talk to the guy
that's upcycling all of this into this.
(upbeat music)
This is Thomas Peterberns.
He's the one collecting used disposable face masks
and upcycling them into these everyday tools.
- The worldwide plastic waste gets recycled,
and some of them are ending up in our oceans
and is a big danger for the animal there.
When we produce something from plastic,
it the best when it a useful and long-life product.
- In 2021, Thomas founded Johannplasto,
a workspace for plastic recycling in Dresden, Germany.
There. he works on methods to recycle used plastic
and builds the machines used to make products
like the cool screwdriver set we mentioned earlier.
Johannplasto is part of the Precious Plastic Network
that works with communities
to fix local plastic waste problems.
The network exchanges ideas and construction plans
for plastic processing internationally.
As a mechanical engineer,
Thomas specialized in lightweight fiber reinforced plastics
and saw just how difficult it was to recycle them.
And when he also saw the increased amount of PPE waste
everywhere during the pandemic,
he made it his mission
to recycle polypropylene surgical masks.
- I saw all the mask out polluting our street a lot,
and then because of the coronavirus,
so many people had to wear them.
My mission is to recycle as much plastic waste as I can
to catch up the plastic waste
before it ends up on huge mountains of plastic waste
and then it's difficult to sort.
- Named after the Johannstadt neighborhood
in Dresden, Germany,
and his interest in electric waste recycling,
plast for plastics, and O for electro,
he created Johannplasto.
So, how do all these masks become a screwdriver set?
check it out.
To make the screwdriver set,
Thomas receives masks from a local school
that collects 50 to 200 masks every week.
The masks are received at Johannplasto's collection point
after a minimum of 10 days since their last use.
This is to rid the masks
of any virus that they may be carrying.
Why 10 days?
Well, information around how the COVID-19 virus
can transmit from a surface to a person
has been updated a lot since the pandemic started.
The CDC says 99% of the virus will die
on most non-porous surfaces within three days.
But out of an abundance of caution,
Thomas gives them some extra time.
So, all right, back to the process.
Next, the masks are sorted and separated.
Gloves are worn for safety.
To make these screwdriver sets,
Thomas works with 100% polypropylene masks.
The masks are all then washed and line dried.
The bands from the side of the mask
and the wire from the nose are all removed.
Then a mold is placed under an injection machine
in which the washed masks are folded and inserted.
The injection machine is heated to 180 degrees
and melted plastic masks are pushed out
and injected into the mold.
The mold is then set aside
to cool down for 10 minutes and de-molded.
And that's the screwdriver case. (bell dinging)
Next, the screwdriver handle is created
using the same process as before,
but using a different mold
that also holds a metal shaft for the screwdriving bits.
Once that molded plastic cools,
the bits and sockets are then inserted.
You've got a whole screwdriver set, ready to be used.
Takes about 100 masks to make one screwdriver set,
and you can find them for sale
on Johannplasto's website or on Etsy.
And get this, each screwdriver set
can be re-recycled again and again.
I'd say that's pretty cool.
Why is upcycling these masks so important to Thomas?
Well, in 2021, 129,000,000,000 masks
were being used globally every month.
That's 3,000,000 masks thrown away every minute,
which we know led to masks ending up in our environment,
freshwater systems, and ocean.
According to Oceans Asia, 1,560,000,000 of those masks
entered oceans in 2020,
resulting in up to an additional 6,240 metric tons
of marine plastic pollution.
These disposable masks are often made from polypropylene,
a fossil fuel derived plastic, and consists of three layers,
the inner layer, middle layer, and outer layer.
These masks can take 100s of years
to disintegrate and break down due to their strength.
Meanwhile, they shed harmful microplastics
into the waterways,
which then get consumed by our marine life,
and anything above it in the food chain, like humans.
One single mask left exposed under natural conditions
can release more than 1,500,000 microplastics
into a wet environment like a river or ocean.
Masks also get mistaken for food by animals.
They fill up their stomachs, decrease their food intake,
and can cause them to starve and die.
But the threats don't stop at accidental ingestion.
Just look at this bird found in British Columbia
that was tangled in a discarded face mask and died
after the mask was wrapped around its body and beak.
Horrible.
To be part of a solution to that problem,
Johannplasto has a goal to recycle 1000 masks every month.
So far, Johannplasto's
produced 100 of those screwdriver sets.
Thomas has another mission,
to educate people on the big waste problem
and to minimize single use plastic.
Not only does the Johannplasto studio work with masks,
Thomas produces products
using other forms of plastic, as well.
They've got a collection point
outside of their studio in Dresden
where locals can drop off their plastic waste,
and he wants to set up many more collection points
throughout the city where people can drop off even more.
- The plan is to set up more collection points in the city
where people can drop, and not only masks,
but also other plastic waste.
- Want to do your part
in tackling the waste problem?
According to the EPA, here are a few things you can do.
Safely dispose of used masks in your trash.
Before you dispose of masks,
cut the elastic strap to prevent animal entanglement.
Don't toss masks into overflowing trash bins
where they can be blown away.
And another great tip
from the University of Southern Denmark,
you can set up a mask only trash can
for collection and disposal.
So, what do you think?
Have you ever come across
used discarded masks on the ground?
What do you do if you come across plastic waste?
And how are you stopping pollution from entering the ocean?
Let us know in the comments below.
(upbeat music)