According to the RMIT researchers, an incredible 54,000 tons of PPE waste has been produced daily since the start of the pandemic. "With a circular economy approach, we could keep that waste out of landfill while squeezing the full value out of these materials to create better products — it's a win on all fronts," the team’s research leader and corresponding author, Professor Jie Li, said.

Three separate materials were shredded and then mixed into concrete at rates between 0.1 and 0.25%. Science Daily reports that, among other deliverables, the research found that:

• rubber gloves increased compressive strength by up to 22%
• isolation gowns increased resistance to bending stress by up to 21%, compressive strength by 15%, and elasticity by 12%
• face masks increased compressive strength by up to 17%

According to the scientists, "the next step for the research is to evaluate the potential for mixing the PPE streams, develop practical implementation strategies, and work towards field trials." This could have sizeable potential impacts on the building industry. Someone had better alert Gavin Wade.