Recycled PPE could make roads to tackle waste

Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, described how using the material from three million disposable face masks could make just one kilometre of a two-lane road, preventing 93 tonnes of waste from going to landfill.

The new road-making material developed by the team is a mix of shredded single-use masks and processed building rubble designed to meet civil engineering safety standards. Their analysis explained how the face masks help to add stiffness and strength to the final product, which is designed to be used for base layers of roads and pavements.

Published in Science of the Total Environment, their study is the first to investigate civil construction applications of disposable PPE (personal protective equipment). First author Dr Mohammad Saberian said multidisciplinary and collaborative approaches were now needed to tackle the environmental impact of COVID-19. 

“We hope this opens the door for further research, to work through ways of managing health and safety risks at scale and investigate whether other types of PPE would also be suitable for recycling,” Saberian said.