Thousands of N95 medical masks are now being recycled at an old highway department warehouse in New Haven.

Gov. Ned Lamont launched the operation Wednesday.

Four recycling pods went up fast, and can process up to 80,000 masks each day.

Once they arrive, the masks are tracked with a barcode and cleaned with vaporized hydrogen peroxide. A few hours later, they are tested and then shipped back to the front lines.

A nonprofit research group called Battelle is doing the work. Connecticut is one of the first states to get this technology.

"This is something that we had been doing previous to the COVID crisis. Quite frankly, we had done this research previously on behalf of the FDA after the SARS epidemic," Jeff Rose, of Battelle.

The governor says more masks are the key to reopening the state's economy.

"You want to get this state back to work? Want to do it safely? It's testing and masks," said Lamont.

State and federal dollars are covering the cost of the cleaning.