How TerraCycle recycles PPE
Building and industrial sites around Australia and New Zealand are seeking solutions for an industry-wide problem: waste.
Every year in Australia, over 25 million tonnes of waste from building and demolition materials are produced according to the National Waste Report 2022, costing the industry over $2 billion to manage - more than any other sector.
The construction and mining industry recycles a significant volume of waste, with an estimated resource recovery rate of 81%. However, increasing the rate of recycling in the sector will mean dealing with what falls to the bottom of the skip, which is often smaller and more complex items made from mixed materials - like the PPE that keeps workers safe.
Why is building and construction PPE hard to recycle?
PPE is considered a hard-to-recycle waste stream because it's a broad category of waste that can consist of different kinds of complex composite materials such as hard and soft plastics, leather, and fabrics which must be separated into individual material streams to be recycled by specialist processors.
Disposable face masks are usually constructed with layers of varying plastic polymer fibres and can include a metal nose clip. Single-use gloves can be composed of vinyl, nitrile, or latex whilst safety gloves can be made of fabric and leather. Safety glasses and goggles can be made of polycarbonate or PET and often have rubber, nylon, and other types of materials attached to the eyewear. Respirators can be made from a variety of materials with the most common facepiece materials being silicone, neoprene, and rubber. Hard hats are usually made of HDPE (a type 2 plastic) and ABS and will have some plastic or textile webbing and straps, with some including foam inserts.
Kerbside recycling services often don’t accept PPE as sorting and processing the different components usually costs more than the value of the recycled materials. The good news is though, building and mining sites can easily increase their recycling rates using TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box™ solution.
How to recycle industrial PPE with Zero Waste Box™
TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box™ is a comprehensive recycling solution for practically everything with a range of Zero Waste Boxes available to recycle industrial PPE such as masks, protective eyewear, hard hats and earplugs. The purchase of a Zero Waste Box includes the costs of shipping, sorting, cleaning, processing, and recycling of the contents making it a convenient and efficient solution for any worksite to adopt. Zero Waste Boxes are easy to set up on-site and once full with the accepted waste, it can be sent back to TerraCycle using the free prepaid return label that is already affixed to the box.
Everything collected through the Zero Waste Box system is sorted and processed into raw materials that can be reused instead of being sent to landfills. The collected PPE is first quarantined if necessary, then all materials are cleaned and shredded. Metal components are smelted and formed for use in secondary metals manufacturing, while clean plastics are sorted and mixed to create recycled plastic blends. Depending on their composition, the raw material can be used to construct plastic lumber, composite decking, outdoor furniture, watering cans, plastic shipping pallets, and much more.
Note: Like most other recycling services, TerraCycle cannot accept hazardous waste. Any items contaminated with silica dust or asbestos are classified as ‘hazardous’ and must be disposed of according to relevant guidelines.
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Your next PPE recycling steps
If you’re an innovative leader in the construction or mining sector, this is a great way to extend your positive impact and deliver on sustainability commitments.
Check out our range of Zero Waste Boxes for Personal Protective Equipment or get in touch with our team at anzsales@terracycle.com to learn how our recycling solutions can work at your worksite.