One Side Effect Of COVID Was Single-Use Plastic Waste; This Rapid Test Concept Is Fully Biodegradable and Recyclable

Despite the most optimistic of outlooks, it would appear that COVID isn’t done with us yet. While the need for social distancing, QR menus, and mask-wearing has subsided in much of the world, the coronavirus still endures, which means the continued need for test kits. These kits are designed and packaged with a lot of plastic, an unfortunate consequence of the pandemic. 

Design firm Morrama saw a need for a sustainable test kit that is fully recyclable, biodegradable, and free of single-use plastic. ECO-FLO is a concept COVID test kit that uses Parallel Amplified Saliva rapid POint-of-caRe Test (PASPORT) saliva testing. Four components make up the ECO-FLO: sachet, test kit, test strip, and absorbent pad. Packaging gets made using paper pulp, and the sachet uses Nature Flex film. As a result, ECO-FLO kits biodegrade in about 4-6 weeks.

“We have developed ECO-FLO to highlight the need for a more sustainable design. Projecting forward to future pandemics, ECO-FLO could offer a simpler, more accessible, and more sustainable option to aid in keeping people safe through instantaneous mass testing, designed with people and the planet in mind,” said Andy Trewin Hutt, associate director at Morrama, via a press release.

Morrama envisions ECO-FLO kits being distributed by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and available in pharmacies.

Images courtesy of Morrama.