The National Museums of Scotland are recycling disposable face masks which could otherwise end up in landfill or be littered on streets. The Edinburgh-based museum is using a solution for PPE which isn’t recyclable through conventional facilities, giving them a new life. The TerraCycle collection system is via Zero Waste Boxes which encourage people to dispose of PPE instead of throwing the items away. When full, the boxes are returned for processing and the collected waste is cleaned and melted into pellets. The material can be used to manufacture products including outdoor furniture, plastic shipping pallets, decking, watering cans, storage containers, bins, and tubes for construction..

VetPartners has launched a major environmental project at 130 of its largest sites by trialling zero-waste boxes for used PPE. The boxes are provided by TerraCycle – a company that specialises in hard-to-recycle waste including PPE masks, gloves and aprons worn by clinical team members when treating patients. All PPE not contaminated with animal or pharmaceutical waste can be recycled as part of the scheme, and is collected and quarantined for 72 hours to ensure it is safe.

VetPartners is trialling zero waste boxes for PPE at 130 of its largest sites across the UK. The boxes are provided by TerraCycle, a company specialising in hard-to-recycle waste, and all types of PPE, including masks, gloves and aprons worn by clinical team members when treating patients, can be disposed of in the boxes as long as they are not contaminated with animal, pharmaceutical or liquid waste.

With the international spread of Covid-19, the global use of face masks or personal protective equipment (PPE) seems set to continue to increase. But keeping ourselves safe should not be at the cost of the planet. Organizations are developing new solutions to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Waste management company TerraCycle has Zero Waste Boxes to collect and recycle PPE, face masks and disposable gloves, explained Julia Chevalier, PR Manager at TerraCycle Europe.

These unprecedented COVID-19 times have underscored that single use materials are still a highly reliable and affordable solution for personal protection. Although this new reality has highlighted the public necessity for these items, it has also brought into stark contrast our vulnerabilities to pollution. Between the end of February and mid-April this year, more than a billion items of personal protective equipment were given out in the UK alone. This spike in consumption is forcing us to rethink our attitude to recycling and find a sustainable solution for this kind of waste, which would otherwise end up in landfill or often simply be littered on the streets. As the leading experts in traditionally “non-recyclable” waste, TerraCycle provides a unique recycling solution for all types of single-use PPE, which aren’t recyclable through conventional recycling facilities, giving them a new life in a variety of forms.

When collecting debris, provide separate recycling bags for plastic, cans and newspapers. Little packets that hold peanuts and pretzels also can be recycled when gathered separately and collected by TerraCycle, a company that provides special zero-waste recycling boxes to gather a variety of items. Regarding those little stir sticks — let’s ask ourselves if we really need them. A few spoons on the beverage trolley mightdo quite nicely.

Get your community involved in recycling materials you would normally be chucking in the garbage by going in on a Terracycle Zero Waste Box together. For instance, a group of parents could get their children’s classroom a Zero Waste Box for snack wrappers (and for the month of August, this box is 20% off with the code AUGUSTBOX20) or try an Office Supplies Box for the whole school.

If you’re looking for go above and beyond what is set up in your own municipality, you can reach out to TerraCycle Canada. They offer a program where you order boxes to your house, fill them up with select items and you can send them back to be recycled. Each box has a price tag, but they come with a free shipping label. There are 42 box options, including one for Personal Care Accessories (i.e., your beauty products!), baby gear or baby food pouches, as well as shoes and footwear, oral care like toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, bath and shower accessories like soap dishes, toilet brushes and the like.