Bricks made from PPE kit and face mask

Binish Desai

Innovator who converted used PPE kits and face masks into bricks

Popularly known as the Recycle Man of India, Binish Desai’s innovative mind is always on the lookout for grassroots problems to solve. This years’ COVID-19 situation posed another on-ground challenge of tackling biomedical waste.

“Facemasks are the new normal, and single-use face masks are widely used. But, once they are disposed of, they end up in a landfill. So, I thought why not try to incorporate this with the bricks I am already making,” says Binish, whose earlier innovation of converting paper mill waste into bricks helped pave the way for the current innovation called P-Block 2.0. In this case, he was using his knowledge of recycling industrial waste into sustainable building material, to make bricks out of PPE kits and face masks.

Using 7 kgs of biomedical waste per square foot, each brick is made with 52% of shredded PPE material, 45% paper sludge and 3% binding agent-formulated gum base. They are made from non-woven fabric from masks, gowns and head covers, and are claimed to be lighter but stronger than the previous brick variant.

These bricks are also fire-resistant and waterproof and cheaper than conventional bricks that cost around Rs 4 per piece. Each piece of P-Block brick costs Rs 2.8.

“After getting the NOC (no objection certificate) in September, we are on our way to collaborate with the government to set up bins in public spaces to collect a large amount of biomedical or COVID-19 related waste. From our collection from hospitals, we have managed to produce 40,000 to 45,000 bricks so far and are planning on automating our manufacturing units for better scalability,” he adds.