In March, Seattle was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the parents of Yooni Kim, a retail worker, were worried about her. They sent her a package of disposable masks, and she began wearing them to work. But that created a new problem for their environmentally conscious daughter: How could she responsibly dispose of the used masks? Soon, she discovered a potential solution: a recycling service, offered by a company called TerraCycle. For $86, TerraCycle would send Kim a small “ZeroWaste” box, roughly the size of a toaster oven, which she could fill with used masks and ship back to the company for recycling.   As Kim debated making the purchase, she wondered what happens to recycled masks, and about the environmental impacts of TerraCycle’s process. She figured it had to beat the alternative: millions of used masks piling up in landfills or being burned in incinerators, depending on the local waste company’s practices. “It is an expensive thing to invest in,” she said. “But I was open to paying for it, because if someone wants to dispose of masks responsibly, why not.” Determining what constitutes responsible disposal, however, is not straightforward. And, experts say, a truly sustainable solution would require rethinking manufacturing systems, long before any masks hit the trash or recycling bin.   TerraCycle was founded as a worm fertilizer company in 2001. Since then, it has pivoted to recycling items other companies won’t accept, such as pens and markers, plastic wrap and single-use coffee capsules. So far this year, it’s collected and processed 74,000 pounds of disposable masks, gowns and gloves, stationing ZeroWaste boxes at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Subaru dealerships, as well as selling them to individual consumers like Kim.   To recycle the items, workers first sort through the large piles of used personal protective equipment sent to the TerraCycle headquarters in New Jersey to ensure that the dominant material is the non-woven polypropylene used in most disposable masks. (Metal nose strips from N95 masks, for instance, are removed.) Then, the piles are melted down and shredded into a mulch-like material that can be molded into things like railroad ties and shipping pallets. The resulting plastic is structurally sound, but looks uneven and dull, so selling it doesn’t net TerraCycle much money. That’s why the recycling boxes are expensive: The high price tag offsets what would otherwise be a net loss for the company.   The process may not be profitable, but according to TerraCycle, it can help the environment. “By recycling disposable masks, they are kept out of landfills and can be made into new materials and products, reducing the need to extract new materials from the planet,” said Shaye DiPasquale, TerraCycle’s publicist. DiPasquale also noted that bacteria from landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.   But according to Jonathan Krones, an industrial ecologist at Boston College, the environmental calculus is more complicated than that. Recycling masks doesn’t necessarily reduce demand for freshly made plastic. “Would plastic lumber or fleece have been made in the first place without the recycled plastic material? I’m not convinced,” he said. And while landfills do produce methane emissions, they’re mostly from decomposing food or paper, Krones said, not bacteria on plastics such as disposable masks. Furthermore, transporting and melting down masks during recycling requires significant energy, unlike simply letting them sit in a landfill.   Ultimately, it’s impossible to definitively determine whether it’s more environmentally friendly to throw away masks or recycle them through services like TerraCycle’s. If the goal is to reduce environmental impacts, we should be asking questions about mask manufacturing, not recycling, said Krones, because most of the environmental costs come from making masks in the first place. “There’s no good option, because the product is inherently garbage,” he said. In other countries, such as Japan and Germany, manufacturers are required to take back some used products and front a portion of the disposal costs. But no such federal rules currently exist in the US.   Still, even if recycling masks isn’t more environmentally beneficial than just tossing them, TerraCycle’s work helps remind consumers and companies that trash doesn’t disappear after it’s thrown out. Simply offering a service that requires consumers to mail in items by type illuminates the fact that not everything is easily recyclable, and that precious time and energy are required to properly sort recyclable pieces.   And, Krones said, TerraCycle’s service has the power to get more people interested in learning about recycling and disposal systems. Kim learned how difficult it can be to properly recycle everyday items, and she has since become more interested in ways to create systemic change. “We’re all doing the best we can, and ultimately, the biggest changes will have to come from corporations reducing waste,” she said. As for purchasing a TerraCycle box, she’s trying to mobilize her neighbors to buy one together, so the high cost will be shared. “If I can find people who want to split a $90 box, then I’m sure we can pack it really tight,” she said.  

Before COVID-19, face masks were used only by medical professionals, however when COVID-19 became a pandemic, many were required to use face masks during daily life.   Face masks are worn worldwide and many places have made wearing a mask mandatory in public places. Some face masks are single-use, meaning it will only be worn for one day, and after it must be thrown away to practice good hygiene. As the pandemic continued, people saw that face masks are a priority and began to look for face masks that are recyclable or washable.   “I am a big fan of recycling products, this is because we need to help the earth to maintain more and more alive, ‘’ said Sofia Sorondo, freshman. “I love to use a disposable face mask, and [it] helps me feel much better.”   Terracycle is a social enterprise that is eliminating the idea of waste. TerraCycle turns ocean plastic into new products and teaches the community to recycle.   “When I was in school I learned about TerraCycle because they [taught] us the basic information we need to know about [recycling],” said Giorgia Pigiato, junior.   Now people are seeing that face masks will be in our life for a long time, that’s why many clothing companies and supermarkets are selling more recyclable and washable ones.   “For me, it is so much better using a disposable mask,” said Lula Prada, freshman. “I can wear it many times and if it is dirty, I can just wash it and that’s it.”

In March, Seattle was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the parents of Yooni Kim, a retail worker, were worried about her. They sent her a package of disposable masks, and she began wearing them to work. But that created a new problem for their environmentally conscious daughter: How could she responsibly dispose of the used masks?   Soon, she discovered a potential solution: a recycling service, offered by a company called TerraCycle. For $86, TerraCycle would send Kim a small "ZeroWaste" box, roughly the size of a toaster oven, which she could fill with used masks and ship back to the company for recycling.   As Kim debated making the purchase, she wondered what happens to recycled masks, and about the environmental impacts of TerraCycle's process. She figured it had to beat the alternative: millions of used masks piling up in landfills or being burned in incinerators, depending on the local waste company's practices. "It is an expensive thing to invest in," she said. "But I was open to paying for it, because if someone wants to dispose of masks responsibly, why not?" Determining what constitutes responsible disposal, however, is not straightforward. And, experts say, a truly sustainable solution would require rethinking manufacturing systems, long before any masks hit the trash or recycling bin.   TerraCycle was founded as a worm fertilizer company in 2001. Since then, it has pivoted to recycling items other companies won't accept, such as pens and markers, plastic wrap and single-use coffee capsules. So far this year, it's collected and processed 74,000 pounds of disposable masks, gowns and gloves, stationing ZeroWaste boxes at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas and Subaru dealerships, as well as selling them to individual consumers like Kim.   To recycle the items, workers first sort through the large piles of used personal protective equipment sent to the TerraCycle headquarters in New Jersey to ensure that the dominant material is the non-woven polypropylene used in most disposable masks. (Metal nose strips from N95 masks, for instance, are removed.) Then, the piles are melted down and shredded into a mulch-like material that can be molded into things like railroad ties and shipping pallets. The resulting plastic is structurally sound, but looks uneven and dull, so selling it doesn't net TerraCycle much money. That's why the recycling boxes are expensive: The high price tag offsets what would otherwise be a net loss for the company.   The process may not be profitable, but according to TerraCycle, it can help the environment. "By recycling disposable masks, they are kept out of landfills and can be made into new materials and products, reducing the need to extract new materials from the planet," said Shaye DiPasquale, TerraCycle's publicist. DiPasquale also noted that bacteria from landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.     But according to Jonathan Krones, an industrial ecologist at Boston College, the environmental calculus is more complicated than that. Recycling masks doesn't necessarily reduce demand for freshly made plastic. "Would plastic lumber or fleece have been made in the first place without the recycled plastic material? I'm not convinced," he said. And while landfills do produce methane emissions, they're mostly from decomposing food or paper, Krones said, not bacteria on plastics such as disposable masks. Furthermore, transporting and melting down masks during recycling requires significant energy, unlike simply letting them sit in a landfill.   Ultimately, it's impossible to definitively determine whether it's more environmentally friendly to throw away masks or recycle them through services like TerraCycle's. If the goal is to reduce environmental impacts, we should be asking questions about mask manufacturing, not recycling, said Krones, because most of the environmental costs come from making masks in the first place. "There's no good option, because the product is inherently garbage," he said. In other countries, such as Japan and Germany, manufacturers are required to take back some used products and front a portion of the disposal costs. But no such federal rules currently exist in the U.S.   Still, even if recycling masks isn't more environmentally beneficial than just tossing them, TerraCycle's work helps remind consumers and companies that trash doesn't disappear after it's thrown out. Simply offering a service that requires consumers to mail in items by type illuminates the fact that not everything is easily recyclable, and that precious time and energy are required to properly sort recyclable pieces.   And, Krones said, TerraCycle's service has the power to get more people interested in learning about recycling and disposal systems. Kim learned how difficult it can be to properly recycle everyday items, and she has since become more interested in ways to create systemic change. "We're all doing the best we can, and ultimately, the biggest changes will have to come from corporations reducing waste," she said.   As for purchasing a TerraCycle box, she's trying to mobilize her neighbors to buy one together, so the high cost will be shared. "If I can find people who want to split a $90 box, then I'm sure we can pack it really tight," she said.  

Major League Baseball has devoted much of its pregame pageantry at the World Series to honoring real-life heroes who have helped navigate the country through a trying year. As Game 1 of the Fall Classic between the Dodgers and Rays commenced Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, healthcare workers from nearby regions were recognized on the field with ceremonial first pitch honors.   Four individuals participated in the Game 1 first pitch ceremony:   • Jamie Edens and Ryan Ward, a married couple who resigned from their nursing jobs in Tulsa, Okla., and drove to New York to help on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of July, they drove to Texas to do the same for COVID-19 patients in that area. • Erika Combs, an oncology and kidney transplant nurse at a Dallas hospital, who voluntarily switched units to serve in the COVID-19 unit for more than a month. • Brittney Burns, a nurse practitioner who left her home in San Antonio to work in New York at the onset of the pandemic. After 101 days there, she came back to her hometown, where she aided patients for another 100 days.

Did you know that you can recycle disposable gloves? TerraCycle offers a variety of recycling solutions for hard-to-recycle items. Check out their Disposable Gloves Zero Waste Box and help save the planet while you’re protecting yourself!   Print or share We Earthling posters to inspire others with your stories.

Covid-19 has created an entirely new, massive wastestream. Terracycle has found a way to recycle PPE and prevent this garbage from polluting our waterways. Covid-19’s spread is merciless. The disease has now infected nearly 36 million people worldwide, killing more than 1 million, including 210,000 Americans. Thankfully, we know one thing slows it down: face masks. Studies show face masks can help reduce the spread of Covid-19 by up to 85 percent and help save lives. The director of the CDC says masks are our best defense against the disease, and that if all Americans wore them, Covid-19 would be controlled in 6 to 12 weeks. Needless to say, face masks are essential to protecting human life, but they have a downside — an overwhelming amount of waste that will take hundreds of years to decompose. The Guardian recently reported there were more face masks in our seas than jellyfish.

Mom always kept a pair of brightly colored kitchen gloves by the sink when I was growing up. Made of latex or rubber, they protected her hands when she washed dishes with hot soapy water or scrubbed the sink with scouring powder. She also used kitchen gloves when she had to wash something with bleach or to wring out a dirty mop. She used them over and over until they got a hole, and then she would get a new pair. I always have a pair or two of kitchen gloves at home. Although I usually don’t use them for dishes, they are great for protecting my hands when I scrub a messy grill or pot. I keep a pair under the sink to wear when cleaning out the mop or scrubbing the tub with something abrasive like baking soda paste. And you can’t beat latex gloves for giving you a good grip when opening stubborn jar lids. Even when the gloves get a hole in them, they can still be useful. You can keep a pair in the car to wear when pumping gas or clearing snow from the windshield. Put a little duct tape over the hole and, although it’s not pretty, you will have a nice, watertight seal. I also keep a pair in the gardening bag I take to the community garden. I can easily rinse them off when they get too dirty.

Bathroom Benefits

  Nonprofit GEM LEGACY has announced a new kids-focused initiative that aims to provide proper sanitization, air filtration, and plumbing for 10 new toilets at the Sanawari Primary School in Tanzania. Gem Legacy is dedicated to supporting education, vocational training, and local economies in East African gemstone mining communities. gemlegacy.org

Only Natural Diamonds

  The DIAMOND PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION is now the NATURAL DIAMOND COUNCIL (NDC), an industry authority dedicated to promoting desirability of natural diamonds and supporting the integrity of the diamond jewelry industry. The NDC launch includes a digital platform called Only Natural Diamonds for both consumers and retailers. naturaldiamonds.com

Clean Body, Clean Earth

  Recent months have seen a huge increase in masks, gloves, and other limited use PPE items that can’t be recycled through the usual methods. TERRACYCLE’s Zero Waste Box program will safely process and recycle your discarded PPE. terracycle.com

#BaltShow

  The BALTIMORE ART, ANTIQUE, AND JEWELRY SHOW has announced new dates for 2020. The event will be returning to its traditional home at the Baltimore Convention Center Nov. 12-15. baltimoresummershow.com

Autumn in Atlanta

  The ATLANTA JEWELRY SHOW has announced that there will be a 2020 fall show at the Cobb Galleria Centre on Oct. 24-25. The event will be preceded by a pre-show conference on Oct. 23. atlantajewelryshow.com