The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a new problem in our already polluted world: randomly discarded protective masks that are both damaging to the environment and public health. A group of Turkish high school students found a new use for the masks as Turkey is increasingly shedding them thanks to a recession in the pandemic.
After carefully disinfecting used masks, they recycle and patch them together to make cool, small bags they called “Mascase.”
The waterproof bags, primarily designed to carry water bottles, are the brainchild of students from Eraslan High School in the western province of Izmir. The students formed the team they called “Green Future” for their project, which is endorsed by the GençBizz Entreprenurship program of the Junior Achievement Education Foundation, a branch of the international nonprofit youth organization Junior Achievement Worldwide.
Each mask has its wires removed before a thorough disinfection process. They are then carefully sewed together and crafted by hand. Yeşim Ak, a teacher coordinating the students’ efforts, told Demirören News Agency (DHA) that they took a step toward “sustainable textile” and they were now planning to produce bigger bags, including laptop computer bags, as well as umbrella cases.
Masks improperly disposed of often end up as untreated waste and sometimes, at sea, an unfortunate dumping ground for careless people. On land, they pose an infection danger while at sea, they are an immediate risk to marine life, which can mistake them for food and end up digesting them. Containing polypropylene plastic material, elastic and metal, the masks, when ingested, severely harm and even kill marine life. The material they are made out of breaks up into smaller pieces, creating microplastics when improperly disposed. It can also take up to 450 years for them to decompose. A study released by the ocean conservation organization Oceans Asia estimates that in 2020 alone, 1.5 billion disposable masks ended up in the world’s oceans, which calculates to upward of 6,500 tons of additional plastic waste.
