October 7, 2020

Face Mask Disposal Problem

Single-use face mask and other synthetic face masks are going to be a big waste management hazard. Just give it a thought how difficult it is to dispose of millions of gloves, PPE kits and face masks being thrown every day. And a majority of this COVID waste is not disposable. Our environment is going to be cursed with this pile of COVID waste for the next 450 years. Masks, gloves, hand sanitizer bottles are already being found in seawater and joining the ocean ecosystems. We are already getting disturbing images of photos and videos. We may have more masks in the sea than jellyfish, This risk was flagged first when Ocean Asia discovered a huge number of masks in plastic pollution research. The problem was first noticed when a cluster of mask was found on the Soko island in Hong Kong. In many cities, plastic recycling programs have been paused. The quarantine economy has locked people in the room and that means more online deliveries resulting in packaging waste. Medical waste in cities has piled up. The situation is even worse in developing countries like India. Because of the lack of a mechanism for the collection and disposal of used face masks, single-use plastic masks are piling up on landfill sites. They’re simply being dumped in the garbage

“In the case of home-care from suspected patients, biomedical waste should be collected separately in yellow bags and handed over to authorized waste collectors engaged by local bodies. ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) should engage CBWTFs to pick-up such waste either directly from quarantined houses or identified collection points,” read the guideline.

Vishal Vivek is the Founder and CEO of Ukhi, a pioneering bio-materials company dedicated to ending plastic pollution by converting agricultural waste into high-performance compostable polymers. With a background in sustainable entrepreneurship and over a decade of technology experience, he leads Ukhi’s vision to create scalable, planet-positive material solutions. Previously, Vishal founded the Hemp Foundation, where he empowered more than 1,000 farmers and advanced sustainable livelihood initiatives. His work has been recognized through awards such as the HDFC Parivartan Grant and featured in leading publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur. Times Group recognized him as a legendary entrepreneur and published his biography in “I Did IT- Vol 2” alongside social pioneers like Bindeshwar Pathak (Sulabh International) and Anshu Gupta (Goonj). Vishal has authored more than 200 articles on sustainability and hemp, reflecting his deep expertise and advocacy for regenerative solutions. His commitment to grassroots impact led him to live in the remote mountains of Uttarakhand, where he immersed himself in the lives of marginal farmers, understanding their challenges and co-creating economic opportunities through hemp-based initiatives. A deeply passionate innovator, Vishal often draws inspiration from seemingly impossible achievements: “If Elon Musk can make rockets reusable, or Dashrath Manjhi can carve a path through a mountain with rudimentary tools, why can’t we eliminate the demon of single-use plastic while uplifting struggling farmers? We will make it happen—whatever it takes.” Ukhi is proud to be supported by premier institutions including IIT Guwahati, NSRCEL-IIM Bangalore, Indian School of Business (Hyderabad), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR Pusa), and the Indian Institute of Packaging. Vishal is committed to demonstrating that business can be a powerful catalyst for global environmental and social good. Connect with Vishal Vivek