2022 Edition

As a large scale pandemic plagues the world, masks will surge as a new source of plastic waste in the city. People caught the sight of this waste in the healthy emergency of covid-19, as a soaring demand of disposable masks brings us another new trouble, how to tackle with used and deserted masks after this pandemic?  In 2020, near 52 billion units of mask were produced around the world, at least 1.56 billion units were deserted, according to a survey of Asia Ocean Organization released in December, 2020. The abandoned masks, which were thrown into ocean or buried in earth, would contribute 4680 to 6240 tons of plastic trash. The primary materials of a mask can be burned out but very hard to degrade. It takes at least 400 to 500 years to degrade in the ocean. In fact, how to deal with the deserted masks is not the only tricky problem; according to a report from Environmental Science & Technology, we use 1.94 trillion masks and gloves each month around the globe.  After sanitizing the recycled masks, we teared the masks into several parts and found them have some useful features through our observation. Besides the fabric is light and soft, its unique light-admitting and hydrophobic nature makes it best material for designing public battery lamps, which has approved by many experiments.  In the process of disassembling, we figured out that a mask consists of three layers of woven fabric, and the impression on the surface often shows up unique aesthetic feeling. So, we decided to keep the inner fabric intact for the diffusor of a lamp, only by simply tailoring and piecing. As for the rest of a mask, it melts at high temperature and reshapes with special beauty, being the base of a lamp. This project will give disposable masks a new look. When it comes to disposing the abandoned masks, we used to burn or bury them, however, its quality and feature renders itself some extra property right now. This design is about to be a symbolic one in this time hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.