Plastic Bag Mosquito Nets

Plastic Bag Mosquito Nets are easily made from recycled plastic bags by binding eight layers of plastic with any household iron. The resulting base material is strong and can be used for a wide variety of projects, including mosquito nets. Holes for the net are generated by making a modified sewing machine needle and using either an electric or treadle sewing machine.

People may choose to make Plastic Bag Mosquito Nets to prevent malaria in their household, or to sell additional nets as an income-generating activity. Either way, the production of the nets helps reduce waste by making use of discarded plastic bags.

Detailed information, including do-it-yourself guides and instructional videos are available on the Doane Nets Project website.

The Doane Nets Project of Doane College was established in order to break cycles of dependence in the developing word by working towards three basic goals: saving lives, creating jobs and reducing waste.

An initial pilot in Kenya trained 25 subsistence farmers in the manufacturing of Plastic Bag Mosquito Nets. This group has since expanded to 50 individuals. While Doane College continues to send trainers into the field, they also encourage individuals to locally manufacture nets by following their online DIY guides.

Publicly available: yes
Countries where available: Worldwide
Price range (USD): Free
Offered or can be licensed for local manufacture: Yes