Face masks: The companies making face masks that turn into plants

Face masks have become part of our normal day-to-day life since the coronavirus pandemic.

But while they help keep us safe, the disposable masks are causing damage to our environment.

They contain plastics which pollute water and can harm wildlife who eat them or become tangled in them.

Could you imagine throwing a disposable face mask away and it actually helping the environment?

Now you can, because two companies have created face masks that are not only biodegradable, they even grow flowers!

Intrigued? Let's find out more.

Flower seeds

Netherlands based designer Marianne de Groot-Pons has created masks from rice paper and filled them with flower seeds.

They are biodegradable, so after using them they can be buried in the ground and the seeds inside will have a chance to grow and bloom.

Everything about the mask is biodegradable, including the glue that holds the cord to the mask, which is made from potato starch.

Marianne created the masks after seeing lots of blue disposable masks on the street. She says: "Earth happy, bees happy, nature happy, people happy".

Face plant

Campaigners want the government to promote environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic face masks

Marianne's masks aren't the only ones with seeds in. Over in India the Paper Seed company came up a similar idea.

Their face masks are also filled with seeds so they can bloom into a plant.

The mask is made using recycled rags and the plant seeds are put into the cotton materials.

Once you're finished with the mask, you can throw them in the soil, water it little and in a few days' time a plant will hopefully grow.

Research has found that 129 billion face masks are disposed of every month, which causes a problem for our oceans and environment.