This eco-innovator from Ernakulam is making disposable bedrolls from leftover PPE cloth

With a sudden surge in COVID-19 patients in India, hospitals across the country have been overwhelmed with the shortage of beds, oxygen cylinders, and ventilators. In fact, the dearth of beds in some hospitals has led to several unfortunate deaths.

To avoid such unseemly circumstances, Ernakulam-based eco-innovator Lakshmi Menon is making low-cost bedrolls called ‘Shayya,’ to meet the requirements.

The Founder of Pure Living, an organisation focussed on finding sustainable livelihood solutions, is providing such beds while taking into account the problem of waste management.

“Through some of my friends, I got to know that units making PPE are struggling to dispose of the waste generated. It is during this time that officials of Amballur panchayat (in Ernakulam) approached me, asking if we can supply some beds to the FLTCs. I was already in the process of making bedrolls with cloth at that time, but then this idea of making similar bedrolls using PPE scrap struck me, and it has now become fruitful,” Lakshmi told The News Minute. The COVID care centre in the panchayat received five beds from Lakshmi.

These bedrolls are made from the leftovers of the material used to make personal protective equipment (PPE) suits. Since the pandemic emerged in India, several tailors and textile manufacturers in the country have taken to stitching PPE gowns for healthcare workers and individuals, owing to the increased demand.

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“While these manufacturers work day and night to make these suits, there is also a large quantity of scrap material left behind after making them. The waterproof material contains small amounts of plastic, and cannot be recycled easily. It has to be disposed of or recycled by a professional agency which small tailors cannot afford, and they burn it to get rid of the large quantities that pile up every day. It was quite disturbing to see that, and I had to do something,” Lakshmi told The Better India.

According to Lakshmi, the Shayya beds, which are 6ft in length and 2.5ft in width, are made by braiding the scrap pieces of the PPE suit material. Since the cloth used is waterproof, it can be easily cleaned. About 2,400 Shayya beds can be made from six tonnes of cloth waste, which would otherwise cost about Rs 12 lakh to purchase.

At present, these beds are used in COVID-19 care centres, as well as distributed among the homeless people, who do not have a bed to sleep on. Through this, Lakshmi has been providing jobs to about 10 women. They earn Rs 300 per day, which is also the cost of one bed.

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