<p>Activists engaged in removing trash from beaches have reported that a huge quantity of used surgical masks are finding their way to rivers and sea.</p>.<p>They have now found novel ways to tackle the issue. One organisation doing so is Paper Seed Co, a social enterprise located at Pakshikere on the outskirts of Mangaluru. </p>.<p>“Masks which are meant to protect humans are also causing damage to environment and marine ecology,” said 36-year-old Nitin Vas, founder of Paper Seed Co. </p>.<p>“In order to minimise the threat posed by these masks, which are plastic fibers, we decided to launch eco-friendly face masks that will grow into plants when discarded,” Vas said.</p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/how-to-get-optimum-protection-from-your-face-mask-977160.html">How to get optimum protection from your face mask</a></strong></p>.<p>Paper Seed Co has developed the expertise of making paper embedded with plant seeds since 2017.</p>.<p>They began experimenting with masks when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.</p>.<p>“The masks are made using recycled rags and inner linings are made from cotton cloth. It is thick enough to give protection to users,” he said. </p>.<p>The outer layer is embedded with seeds of tomato and basil (tulasi). Though made from cotton, the masks are single-use only. When disposed of in soil, the seeds sprout under ideal conditions.</p>.<p>“We are planning to embed passion fruit seeds in future, so that even when thrown in public places, they grow into fruit-bearing plants,” Vas said.</p>.<p>Though a Dutch firm and another venture in Uttarakhand are also into selling face-mask-seed papers, Paper Seed’s face masks have made a huge impact online.</p>.<p>“Each mask is priced at Rs 25, as emphasis is on the disposal after single use. Its compostability is the core-feature of the product,” said Vas, who is also an artist.</p>.<p>Paper Seed has manufactured around 500 such masks. These masks were ordered by a few NGOs working for the conservation of the environment in Chennai, Bengaluru, Udupi and other places.</p>.<p>“If the demand increases, a batch of locals will be trained to make the eco-friendly masks,” he said.</p>.<p><strong>Paper Seed village </strong></p>.<p>Paper Seed’s previous popular innovations include Mangaluru toys, modelled on the lines of Channapatna toys. The hand-made toys saw good demand and were sent to the US and Chennai. Paper Seed had launched eco-friendly rakhis with seeds of tomato, cucumber, capsicum, tulsi, etc. embedded into them for Raksha Bandhan. Vas dreams of building a Paper Seed village with a bigger workshop. </p>
<p>Activists engaged in removing trash from beaches have reported that a huge quantity of used surgical masks are finding their way to rivers and sea.</p>.<p>They have now found novel ways to tackle the issue. One organisation doing so is Paper Seed Co, a social enterprise located at Pakshikere on the outskirts of Mangaluru. </p>.<p>“Masks which are meant to protect humans are also causing damage to environment and marine ecology,” said 36-year-old Nitin Vas, founder of Paper Seed Co. </p>.<p>“In order to minimise the threat posed by these masks, which are plastic fibers, we decided to launch eco-friendly face masks that will grow into plants when discarded,” Vas said.</p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/how-to-get-optimum-protection-from-your-face-mask-977160.html">How to get optimum protection from your face mask</a></strong></p>.<p>Paper Seed Co has developed the expertise of making paper embedded with plant seeds since 2017.</p>.<p>They began experimenting with masks when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.</p>.<p>“The masks are made using recycled rags and inner linings are made from cotton cloth. It is thick enough to give protection to users,” he said. </p>.<p>The outer layer is embedded with seeds of tomato and basil (tulasi). Though made from cotton, the masks are single-use only. When disposed of in soil, the seeds sprout under ideal conditions.</p>.<p>“We are planning to embed passion fruit seeds in future, so that even when thrown in public places, they grow into fruit-bearing plants,” Vas said.</p>.<p>Though a Dutch firm and another venture in Uttarakhand are also into selling face-mask-seed papers, Paper Seed’s face masks have made a huge impact online.</p>.<p>“Each mask is priced at Rs 25, as emphasis is on the disposal after single use. Its compostability is the core-feature of the product,” said Vas, who is also an artist.</p>.<p>Paper Seed has manufactured around 500 such masks. These masks were ordered by a few NGOs working for the conservation of the environment in Chennai, Bengaluru, Udupi and other places.</p>.<p>“If the demand increases, a batch of locals will be trained to make the eco-friendly masks,” he said.</p>.<p><strong>Paper Seed village </strong></p>.<p>Paper Seed’s previous popular innovations include Mangaluru toys, modelled on the lines of Channapatna toys. The hand-made toys saw good demand and were sent to the US and Chennai. Paper Seed had launched eco-friendly rakhis with seeds of tomato, cucumber, capsicum, tulsi, etc. embedded into them for Raksha Bandhan. Vas dreams of building a Paper Seed village with a bigger workshop. </p>