If you’ve taken a walk outdoors on a nice day – you probably noticed a pair, or stray rubber glove on the ground.
However, people have also been attempting to recycle gloves, which is not a good idea, according to experts.
Public Information Officer at OCRRA, Kristen Lawton, tells CNYCentral that throwing them out into the garbage is important.
“We’re seeing an uptick in gloves, so surgical gloves are finding their way into blue bins,” Lawton said. “These are not recyclable, they are trash, so please put them in your trash. Folks have these items on-hand because they’re trying to protect themselves from the coronavirus and that’s a great thing to do. However, these items are made of stretchy film plastic, they can be made of various types of plastic. But it makes them non-recyclable in the blue bin.”
The problem is that the gloves then contaminate otherwise recyclable items.
Disposable masks fall into the same category. They should not be recycled.
“Not only might they be contaminated, but also they’re an item that doesn’t have a market. They can’t be easily separated into the different types of material that they’re made of, and then ultimately recycled. So your masks and your gloves should go in your trash,” Lawton said.
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