A&D ANNUAL 2022

Clare Hao

'Pearls of Plastic' proposes an environmentally sustainable waste recycling system for PPE waste. The project seeks to prompt behavioural change with PPE in hospital facilities through the adoption of upcycling technology that processes facemasks into 3D printing filament. The filament is then used to produce hospital equipment, such as 3D-printed wheelchairs, walking crutches and food trays in a circular economy environment. The 3D-printed products are promoted in a media campaign comprising a publication, a poster series and instruction manual. The campaign aims to transform the healthcare community’s attitudes about single-use PPE and debunk the binary logic of navigating patient health and sustainable plastic as an ‘either/or’ situation.