Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has proven crucial in stemming the tide of COVID-19 but this surge in production has led to littered PPE covering streets and literally flooding marine habitats. To address this separate unintended public health crisis as well as the threat PPE poses to the environment as plastic pollution, TerraCycle Regulated Waste’s line of EasyPak Containers, a recycling solution for single-use gloves and masks, is poised to help business owners make an impact in time for the holiday rush. Designed as a recycling system for businesses in need of a turn-key solution for hazardous waste disposal, the PPE EasyPak Containers allow business owners or property managers to recycle used gloves and masks on-site, thereby allowing staff to responsibly dispose of their protective gear instead of littering this plastic waste in the environment-at-large. To recycle Personal Protective Equipment waste, TerraCycle Regulated Waste offers the following EasyPak containers:

• Disposable Gloves EasyPak Box – to recycle vinyl, nitrile and latex gloves.
• Disposable Masks EasyPak Box – to recycle surgical and industrial face masks
• Safety Equipment and Protective Gear EasyPak Box – to recycle ear plugs, beard nets, hair nets, gloves, safety glasses, disposable garments and masks.

When full, the boxes are returned to TerraCycle Regulated Waste for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. “TerraCycle Regulated Waste developed a solution for PPE waste that is as innovative as it is easy to use,” says Kevin Flynn, global vice president of TerraCycle Operations and director of TerraCycle Regulated Waste. “The EasyPak recycling program can help businesses maintain workplace safety while simultaneously keeping their parking lots, grounds, surrounding communities, and shared environment free from plastic litter just in time for the holiday rush.” TerraCycle Regulated Waste created the EasyPak program to help businesses facilitate the effective and compliant management of regulated, universal and hazardous waste. All EasyPak boxes are UN-compliant and are sealed while in transit, limiting any possibility of contamination. Additionally, for added convenience, the EasyPak containers are available for purchase through a reorder subscription program ensuring that property managers are never left without a solution to their universal waste. The boxes travel for up to a week before they are received at TerraCycle Regulated Waste facilities, where additional safety precautions are taken in accordance with CDC recommendations. The EasyPak program does not accept medical waste or biohazardous materials.