Thousands of surgical masks recycled into protective visors or door openers against the spread of Covid-19: this is what a start-up in Châtellerault, in Vienne, offers to fight against pollution caused by disposable masks.
The used protections collected are first placed in "quarantine" for 4 days, before going to the shredder, then rushing for 30 seconds into an "ultraviolet tunnel" to ensure complete and reliable decontamination. Then, "we mix this material with a resin which will allow it to become a hard material", explains Olivier Civil, co-founder of the start-up Plaxtil.
Once recycled, the plastic can be used to make all types of objects, by molding. "The possibilities are endless," says Mr. Civil, even if for the moment the start-up, with five employees, is betting on useful products to fight against the coronavirus such as protective visors or even door openers, small instrument so as not to touch a door handle.
Requests are pouring in from all over France
The Plaxtil company has already "recycled more than 50,000 masks", points out Mr. Civil, thanks in particular to the multiplication of collection points. "At the beginning, we targeted the medical community, such as pharmacies or medical offices." Given the interest that the initiative has aroused, many businesses have embarked on fundraising.
Faced with success, “we are wondering how to generalize our initiative. We have requests from all over France. The Ministry of the Economy and Finance contacted us to see if we were ready to join forces to create a mask recycling channel ”, specifies the co-director.