Pandemic Plastic, one of #COVIDActionCollab’s Impact Canvas is focused solely on comprehensively understanding and solving the PPE waste crisis through operational and advocacy means. The very material that has saved countless of our hardworking frontline healthcare workers has now added another risk related to its mistreatment and mishandling after use. Our solution to the PPE waste crisis is aimed at forming a permanent, multi-stakeholder beneficial solution.
Pandemic Plastic envisions a world where PPE usage is moderated, circular and policy-driven – which would accrue benefits not only to people and institutions using it but also to the planet which is already suffering from a stew of unwanted plastic.
We are addressing this through a three-pronged approach of:
Understanding the material we are working with
Mobilizing operational solutions to address the problem
Advocating and working with systems to address the problem at the source
Pandemic Plastic set out with the intention to learn completely about the current COVID PPE crisis and has adopted the solution circle approach, which is a set of discussions that focus on the problem from multiple angles. Through three rigorous focus group solution circles, with eminent minds from the field of plastic, biowaste management, polymer sciences, medicine, and policy, we concluded the three major issues faced by the world today with respect to PPE:
