Single-use glove, gown and mask recycling program available to UBCO labs and departments
Thousands of single-use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are used in campus-wide at UBC Okanagan each year. Following the successful 2021 pilot, which diverted over 37kg of gloves and masks from the landfill, a PPE Collection Program, offered through Vitacore, has been implemented.
Accepted material
- Non-contaminated gloves (nitrile, latex, vinyl)
- Disposable masks and respirators
- Hair and beard nets
- Polypropylene isolation gowns
Recycling process
1. Used PPE is deposited into designated Vitacore Recycling Bins then transported to the recycling facility.
2. PPE is sanitized at a high heat then sorted, shredded, and prepared for melting. The shredded and processed pieces are melted down and made into polypropylene pellets.
3. The polypropylene pellets are repurposed into construction material such as building materials, concrete reinforcement, and textiles.
Measuring the impacts
The material collected during the 2022 pilot diverted over 5,000 (37kg) of gloves and masks from the landfill. Check back regularly for progress reports on material collected from the program.
Impacts measured are projected to have a positive impact on waste diversion, greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, and cost savings.