Biomedical waste to plastic; bamboo toothbrushes

NCL in Pune develops tech to convert biomedical waste to plastic

A plastic bucket or mug, a computer part or a car part made from discarded face masks and PPE suits used by health workers and doctors. This is what the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in Pune is claiming its research has proven can happen. The new research is based on a system of autoclaving biomedical waste. Face masks and PPE suits were burnt earlier. Now this new recycling system will allow plastic products to be made from bio-medical waste. Small particles of plastic are made after a recycling process and then converted into various products.

Chennai startup sells bamboo toothbrushes

Terrabrush, now called Terra, is an eco-friendly startup that showcases and sells a range of sustainable products, which can be reused and recycled. The Chennai-headquartered startup has 24 employees in its team. The company started with bamboo toothbrushes, but with time, it moved into tongue cleaners, tooth powder, toothpaste, and others, like combs, bags, copper bottles, etc. The startup uses purely paper packaging and does not include even a bit of plastic to deliver its products. Meanwhile, it ships products like toothpaste and tooth powder in glass jars. Most of the oral care products cost about Rs 299 each. Combo products — a pack of four toothbrushes, activated charcoal powder, copper tongue cleaner, or herbal toothpaste, and others come at discounted rates. Under the personal and home care categories, Terra sells products, including combs, copper bottles, loofahs, wooden cotton swabs, reusable metal straws, cotton bags, aprons, etc. The toothbrushes are sold through the website and over 300 retail stores in Bengaluru and ecommerce platform Amazon. Terra sources its toothbrushes through three different domestic suppliers based in north India. These products also undergo a quality check and auditing before they are sold.