Philippines: A police officer and forensic chemist reuses her (sanitized) face masks as seedling bags
“I’m always conscious about much trash I make in a day since #covid19 came, I was guilty about throwing my masks away where they will just end up in the landfills or elsewhere, so I decided to keep them in one container.”
By Vina Medenilla
Manila Bulletin
July 17, 2020
Excerpt:
Ellen Avanzado, 40, police lieutenant colonel, forensic chemist, and provincial chief of Bukidnon Crime Laboratory is an advocate of solid waste management who was bothered by the news about improper disposal of face masks in oceans, beaches, and seas. This gave the officer an idea to make better use of her face masks by using it as seedling bags. The fact that there are no infectious waste collectors in their area even pushed her to try out the concept.
She planted culinary herbs such as basil and thyme in a seedling bag made of more than four face masks that her mother stitched together. The face masks that she reuses are her own. Of course, they are sanitised first before being upcycled.
In disinfecting them, she followed an advisory by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) about the proper handling of household healthcare wastes. She mixes a tablespoon of bleach in a 1.5 liter of water and soaks the masks into the solution for 30 minutes. She also washes the masks with detergent afterward to ensure protection from bacteria.
