The widespread use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic has created millions of new pieces of plastic litter and large quantities of landfill waste.
Items such as masks can take hundreds of years to decompose.
So, novel and innovative methods are being developed to transform these disposable items into new products.
Cardiff-based Thermal Compaction Group is working with a company in Kent to turn hospital waste into new masks with 65% recycled content.
Managing director Mat Rapson said: "Plastic is not disposable, it's not single-use, we can actually embrace plastic and use it multiple times."
Story by Paul Pigott, Video by Gwyndaf Hughes
Link to the original BBC report