Recycling Used Face Masks To Make Roads Can Reduce 93 Tons Of Waste Per Year

In 2020 only, there were 1.56 billion single-use face masks ending up in the ocean and the number will likely go up this year. Not just the oceans but landfills are also suffering from an excessive amount of discarded face masks.

However, researchers from RMIT University in Australia have a solution to recycle these masks into road materials, which will help minimize wastage.

The researchers mixed shredded masks with processed building rubble to form their road-making material. Even better, the material met civil engineering safety standards.

With three million masks, the resulting material can be used to pave under 1 km of a two-lane highway, which could help us avoid 93 tons of waste from being dumped in landfills. According to the researchers, every day, the world uses about 6.8 billion single-use face masks, so the recycling system will significantly reduce the amount of waste in landfills.

The research team focused on recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for the study because it can serve as a base layer for roads. They found that the shredded masks enhanced the material and solved the issue of overloaded landfills.

For the best result, the mixture should contain 1% shredded masks and 99% RCA. The team pointed out that the mix delivered strength but still kept cohesion between these two materials. When tested for stress, water resistances, caid, dynamic properties, and deformation, the material met every civil engineering requirement.

It’s worth noting that the study was conducted on unused surgical face masks, the researchers said that they need further tests to find ways to properly disinfect and sterilize face masks before recycling them.

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