Several Ontario cities are reminding residents to throw their disposable face masks, gloves, and wipes in the garbage, not the recycling bin.
In York Region which includes Richmond Hill, Markham, and Vaughan, residents have increasingly been putting those items in their recycling or green bins since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The municipality stated that waste management staff have been finding more than 120,000 masks and gloves at their recycling sorting facility every month. It could put frontline workers at a higher risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.
Workers are exposed to these materials. It is important to protect the health and safety of the workers. Items, which are now being used widely, contaminate batches of recycling that are sold to private revenue for the region.
Waste workers will not empty blue bins with those items and will place a warning sticker on them. The nearby Peel region which includes Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon also urged residents to put such items in the garbage.
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Coronavirus: What Is the Best Kind of Face Mask? – BBC Future
Cloth Face Coverings: CDC Guidelines for Preventing COVID-19
Are Face Masks Effective in Reducing Coronavirus Spread? – LiveScience