Proper disposal of PPE

Why proper disposal of PPE is important = Stop Littering

This combination of pictures created on March 29, 2020 shows gloves littering among other waste the street.

With the state of emergency and restrictions in place during the COVID-19 Pandemic we are all trying to stay home and not venture out except to do essential things like getting groceries, picking up items from the pharmacy and other important outings. These are the recommendations we must follow to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and do our part in flattening the curve.

This brings us to the issue at hand LITTERING!  If any of us have been out to the grocery store to pick up our groceries or walking down the side walk while out to get some fresh air and exercise what we are seeing when we are out is discarded masks, gloves and even disinfectant wipes every where. With more people using a medical mask, gloves or even using disinfecting wipes to wipe off their cart before going into the store this has become a routine part of our lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic. These used PPE items that could be contaminated with the virus are piling up and do pose a risk to not only the environment but, to people that might come in contact with them.

All PPE if used must be worn only when necessary and removed when you are finished the task of shopping as an example. Wearing a mask can offer extra protection against COVD-19 virus and the mask can be worn when you are out and not able to keep spatial distance of 2 meters or 6 feet from others. We invite you to watch this video on how to wear a mask and proper removal of a mask.

The recommendations are to wear gloves when your worried about touching surfaces and can offers extra protection against COVID-19 virus transmission only when they are used correctly. Best practices for glove use are gloves need to be worn when you are worried about the surfaces you’ll be touching, While wearing gloves we have to remember that as we wear them and start touching different items and surfaces we then begin spreading and contaminating the gloves and everything we touch.  Please review this article already posted “Can gloves protect you from Covid-19” and we invite you to watch this video on how to proper remove your gloves after use (Watch the video)

The use of PPE items like a mask and gloves is what will become the norm while we still battle with the virus but, we need to be aware of what is best practice for these PPE items, how to use these PPE items correctly and what to do after to protect ourselves. Please review this article already posted “Do you know what cross-contamination is?”

Discarded gloves lie on the ground outside of a grocery store., April 5, 2020.

In conclusion, littering anything is bad but, PPE that had been worn and may be contaminated with the COVID-19 virus and thrown on the ground causes a worker to have to pick it up when cleaning up the parking lot at the grocery store they work at and cause many of us to have to pick the discarded PPE on the street outside our home to be sure that others especially young child don’t pick them up and get sick.

At Aurelia we are committed to the green commitment and we are doing everything in our power to make gloves and other PPE products ecofriendly. The primary purpose of PPE is to ensure the safety of those wearing them, and this should never be compromised. Optimal protection means highly resistant and durable material are necessary. At Aurelia we are constantly investigating new materials and manufacturing techniques to achieve better recyclability and higher biodegradability for all the PPE we manufacture.

Stayed tuned for some exciting news from Aurelia regarding this soon!

Please let us all of us do our part and make sure we do not Litter. We need to think of others and what we are doing right now to keep us all safe and healthy during this Pandemic.