Masks can contaminate other recyclables and clog up or damage machines. Getty Images

• Disposing of COVID-19 medical waste puts an increasing strain on our waste and recycling systems.
• One problem arises when people try to recycle masks, which cannot be recycled traditionally.
• Private companies like Plaxtil have begun to offer recycling solutions that reuse the mask material.

Disposable masks, cloth face coverings, used gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are some of the extra waste that people have been generating over the past two years as they've tried to protect themselves during the pandemic. The World Health Organization released a report in February stating that the influx — tens of thousands of tons — of COVID-19 medical waste is putting a strain on healthcare waste systems, which could pose both environmental and health risks. It's also affecting traditional waste management and recycling systems.

"As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, waste and recycling haulers experienced a clear increase in the amount of waste being collected due to marked increase of takeout orders and the explosion in single-use PPE," Sue Kauffman, North American public relations director at recycling company TerraCycle, told Insider.Most of these items end up in landfills, she said, but many "well-intentioned but misinformed" people throw PPE waste — which can't be recycled through traditional means — into their curbside recycling bins with the hope that it'll get recycled.

Sue Kauffman. Courtesy of Sue Kauffman

"As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, waste and recycling haulers experienced a clear increase in the amount of waste being collected due to marked increase of takeout orders and the explosion in single-use PPE," Sue Kauffman, North American public relations director at recycling company TerraCycle, told Insider.Most of these items end up in landfills, she said, but many "well-intentioned but misinformed" people throw PPE waste — which can't be recycled through traditional means — into their curbside recycling bins with the hope that it'll get recycled. "This is a counter-productive practice known as 'wishcycling,' and it leads to clogs in machinery, which translate to losses in time and otherwise recyclable material," Kauffman added. Several companies like TerraCycle are offering solutions for recycling PPE, and Kauffman said the demand for these services has soared over the past two years.

The problem of PPE ending up in traditional recycling bins

Pete Keller, vice president of recycling and sustainability at Republic Services, a business and residential waste disposal and recycling company that works in 47 states, said more cloth and disposable masks, gloves, and at-home COVID-19 test kits are ending up in trash and recycling streams these days, though he doesn't have data on exactly how much. "We went from seeing almost none of that type of material to seeing it show up in some of our recycling streams," he said. "When you think about what's in the garbage can, we don't sort through that. But clearly, there's an increase in that type of material." Overall residential waste generation is about 3% to 4% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with commercial waste close to pre-2020 rates, Keller said. Residential trash had increased by about 25% and commercial had decreased by 35% in the early days of the pandemic. Republic Services doesn't recycle masks, gloves, or COVID-19 tests, but Keller said any cardboard packaging that comes with these items is likely recyclable. PPE can contaminate other recyclables, he added. Recycling machinery is calibrated to process specific items like glass, paper, cardboard, and plastics and isn't equipped to handle interloping items, like masks. Kauffman said these contaminants — like other non-recyclable items that inadvertently end up in recycling bins — can clog up or damage machines, which can be costly for municipalities' recycling programs. There's also a fear that PPE that's been exposed to COVID-19 could infect frontline waste management workers who may not be properly protected to handle hazardous waste, Kauffman added.

Some companies are offering solutions to PPE waste

Even though mask mandates are being lifted across the country, they're still required in some situations, like flying or using public transportation, and people still choose to wear them in other situations. So PPE waste will continue to increase. Several private companies are offering solutions for recycling these items. French company Plaxtil recycles masks and other fabrics by transforming them into a plastic-like material that can be molded into many different objects. British firm ReFactory launched Reclaim the Mask, a program that recycles disposable masks, gloves, and visors into plastic boards. TerraCycle's EasyPak recycling systems, which range in price from $128 to $293, are designed for property and facility managers for getting rid of disposable masks, disposable gloves, and safety equipment. The company's PPE Zero Waste Boxes, starting at $88, are available for individuals, institutions, or businesses to recycle masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes, and other items. Kauffman said users fill the box with the waste and ship it back to TerraCycle using a prepaid label, and the items are separated by material type and processed. There was a 145% increase in sales of Zero Waste Boxes that solve for PPE year-over-year from 2019 to the start of the pandemic in 2020 in Canada.

A TerraCycle worker packs a bale of PPE. Courtesy of TerraCycle"The resulting recycled material is used by third parties to manufacture a variety of new products," Kauffman said. These products include outdoor furniture and decking, plastic shipping pallets, storage containers, tubes for construction applications, and more.

The resulting material made from PPE. Courtesy of TerraCycle

Research published in Science of the Total Environment in 2021 suggested that single-use masks can be repurposed into pavement bases and sub-bases, as mask materials can improve ductility, flexibility, and strength. "Not recycling and allowing otherwise usable materials to become waste is just that — a waste," Kauffman said. "By recycling otherwise non-recyclable material, we're able to capture and reuse material destined for landfills, recycle it into a form suitable for manufacturers, and eliminate the need to extract new raw material."