Lincoln seeing increase in PPE through waste management systems 

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Kurtzer Brothers Garbage and Recycling has seen an increase in personal protective equipment trash over the last two years. Anything from gloves and masks, they’re dropping off more and more to the county’s landfill.

“We definitely see more in the garbage cans, we definitely see it more in the streets because maybe it got discarded or lost by different individuals,” Kent Kurtzer, the owner said.

Uribe Refuse Services in Lincoln says they’re seeing the increase too. They pick up medical waste from several of our local health systems and have seen more biohazard materials than in years past.

In fact, the U.N. Health Agency reported 87,000 tons of PPE that were obtained from March 2020 to November 2021 ended up as waste. The Agency says the increase in PPE waste has left a strain on waste management systems across the country and is threatening our environment.

Our local systems are encouraging people to throw their masks away in the garbage and not in recycling bins.

“They are made of fabrics and cotton, and the elastic bands of course are not things that belong in the recycling avenue or stream. It has to get picked out and it just adds to contamination costs and having to do more sorting done with the materials,” Kurtzer said.

Kurtzer Brothers are encouraging Lincoln to reduce and reuse the best you can when it comes to your PPE trash.

“Reduce, reuse when possible, I think the K95’s can be reused up to 40 hours or 5 times, and I know the surgical masks are supposed to be thrown away immediately, but reduce and reuse when you can,” Kurtzer said.