Gloves, Masks And Medical Waste Cannot Be Recycled In NJ

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - Medical waste, such as gloves, wipes, masks, and tissues, which are being widely used by all Morris County residents due to the COVID-19 pandemic, should not be placed into curbside recycling containers, officials said.

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They are contaminants and must be put into the trash, advises the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority, which handles recycling for 14 of Morris County’s 39 municipalities.

Recycling crews in many towns across the county are finding high rates of gloves and masks ending up in the recycling mix, with workers at recycling plants having to sort out these items by hand.

When these materials end up in the recycling stream, along with items such as plastic bags and plastic film, they can cause problems at the county’s recycling sorting facility. They can jam the rotating screens and cause equipment to breakdown.

At recycling facilities, workers must try to remove these items, along with any other unacceptable items, before they enter the automated sorting process.

Keeping these items out of the recycling stream is important to preventing system breakdowns and important to the health and safety of workers at the recycling facility.

For more information on proper recycling and trash disposal visit the Morris County MUA’s website: https://mcmua.com/sw_recy.asp

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