This is an example of a short circuit. The municipality of Limoges distributes this week to his schoolchildren 6.000 geometry kits – square, protractor and double decimeter – designed by
Plaxtil a specialized company, using surgical masks collected by the city with the help of an integration association.
“It’s a virtuous circle and it’s part of civic education. We fight against pollution, we recover the masks and we give the example to children that this waste can be reused ”, welcomed this Tuesday the LR mayor of Limoges, Emile-Roger Lombertie, in front of a CM2 class taking advantage of the first distribution.
A local craze
Some 320,000 masks have been collected from 149 collection points since mid-May by the municipality, with the help of the Respir insertion association, to be then transformed by the company Plaxtil, based in Châtellerault, in the department. neighbor of Vienne.
“It all started with a post on the city’s Facebook page. Three minutes later, the president of the CCI of Limoges relayed the information and many companies and institutions then participated in the operation “to collect masks, testifies Sandrine Javelaud, director of communication for the municipality. With 500 masks, Plaxtil can manufacture the equivalent of seven schoolchildren’s kits but also hangers, ashtrays and other everyday objects, explains the co-founder of the company Olivier Civil.
Founded in September 2020, Plaxtil works with around sixty territories, “from the small town to a region like Center-Val-de-Loire”, or companies like Nestlé or Bouygues, says Olivier Civil. His company has created ten jobs, employs 150 people (full-time equivalent) for collection and recycled 20 million masks.
Other artifacts
“It may sound like a lot, but it’s barely a quarter of the daily consumption of masks in France,” he remarks. “We have shown that our system is viable: the sender of the waste becomes the reuse of the recycled material. This material has another life, does not end up burnt or buried. But we are far from having recycled everything. Much greater industrial capacity is needed ”.
The city of Limoges, which has spent 30,000 euros for this operation, plans to continue its partnership. “In 2022, at a cost of 31,000 euros, we are thinking of ordering hangers or everyday products intended for the elderly in the city”, notes Delphine Bouty-Cholet, director of purchasing, logistics and public ordering.