Edinburgh museum using waste boxes to recycle PPE

The National Museums of Scotland are recycling disposable face masks which could otherwise end up in landfill or be littered on streets.

The Edinburgh-based museum is using a solution for PPE which isn’t recyclable through conventional facilities, giving them a new life.

The TerraCycle collection system is via Zero Waste Boxes which encourage people to dispose of PPE instead of throwing the items away.

When full, the boxes are returned for processing and the collected waste is cleaned and melted into pellets.

The material can be used to manufacture products including outdoor furniture, plastic shipping pallets, decking, watering cans, storage containers, bins, and tubes for construction..

Laure Cucuron, the company’s general manager, said: “We offer consumers a unique, easy and safe solution for keeping PPE waste out of landfills and from being littered.”