What to know about recycling masks and other personal protective equipment
PPE collection will remain in UM hallways
It’s official – UM is preparing to welcome staff and students back to campus for Fall Term 2022. With the return of in-person learning, masks will continue to be mandatory in all indoor spaces on UM campuses unless in a food-designated area or alone in a closed space.
To prepare for the influx of personal protective equipment (PPE), UM has partnered with Vitacore, a Canadian-based recycling company that ensures the materials from PPE are recycled. UM’s PPE will be sanitized, shredded, and melted down to be repurposed into new construction materials such as concrete reinforcement and exterior sidings.
DISPOSING PPE
According to Vitacore, approximately 63,000 tonnes of PPE would end up in landfills or in our oceans at the end of 2021. In order to help reduce these numbers as masks continue to be worn, proper disposal of PPE is more important than ever.
UM’s PPE bins will accept any non-woven, plastic-based masks such as:
- KN95
- N95
- 3-ply surgical masks
- dust masks
- any other PPE items that are no longer usable
Items such as reusable cloth masks and waste such as packaging from your disposable PPE are not accepted in these bins.
RECYCLING LOCATIONS
PPE disposal bins are available at both Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses.
To see the full list of PPE bin locations, visit the PPE bin map.
Any future updates on masks and other health updates for campus may be found on the COVID-19 health and safety protocols page.