Design approach encompassing recycling of PPE kits to create a sustainable material and its implementation: Developing a circular economy.

Issue #009, 2022                                                                              ISSN: 2581- 9410 Abstract The evolution of the design industry has been solving various problems creatively throughout history. Along with the creativity and ideation of the design industry, comes its impacts on our environment, both positive and negative. Water pollution, chemical effluent generation, waste material generation, etc are a few negative impacts that can be solved via a design thinking approach. Presently, the enormous amount of waste generated from the discarded Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits (masks, hazmat suits, etc.) during the COVID19 pandemic is a major concern. Polymers such as polypropylene, polyethene, etc are the main components used in the manufacturing of PPE kits, increasing the overall plastic load on the environment.  To tackle this problem, a concept design is prepared for the production of new recyclable polymer material from the polymeric plastics retrieved from the discarded PPE (Hazmats). The research involved a holistic approach to find possible ways/processes to recycle the polymer material obtained from the PPE kits to produce a sustainable material keeping in mind the concepts of Colour Material and Finish (CMF), the cost-effectiveness of the process and the feasibility of this study. Mechanical recycling of plastics starting from the collection of the raw material to obtaining pellets/films of the plastic has been considered. Further, for manufacturing, processes such as Rotational mo...