The world is throwing away 3 million face masks every minute — and the growing mountain of waste is a toxic time bomb. By kelkord.
collects and processes face masks, in addition to other traditionally nonrecyclable single-use plastic products, via subscription-only No Waste Boxes.
"We anticipate that for a year, users can disinfect the masks after use with an alcohol wipe or standard hospital cleaner, and then swap out the filter after their shifts," CEO Tony Casciano explains. The filters are biodegradable and composed largely of what Casciano describes as"a special wool" made from"unique sheep."
Troutner and Casciano are confident that they have an adequate supply of the special-filter wool to scale to meet demand. But Casciano is firm that, for now, the company's target market is healthcare workers. He also would not disclose the projected market price of the masks, saying only that Teal Bio's product would deliver"significant savings on a per-user basis over the course of a year.