Brewers Collective, the craft business unit of Anheuser-Busch, has announced a national partnership with innovative recycling company TerraCycle to promote the proper recycling of personal protective equipment (PPE).
As a part of the program, Brewers Collective has installed TerraCycle Zero Waste Boxes at 17 craft breweries across the U.S. The boxes are specially designed for single-use masks and gloves.
GlobeNewswire reports that when the boxes are full, they are returned to TerraCycle for recycling. The collected PPE is cleaned, melted, and processed into raw material that can be used to make composite decking, patio furniture, and reusable shipping pallets.
The decision to focus on PPE recycling emerged from the continued widespread public use of protective equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Johns Hopkins University estimated that the U.S. was using an average of 45 million masks per day, most of which are not approved for traditional recycling bins. As PPE usage continues, community streets, parks, and beaches are being littered with single-use gloves and masks, which poses a dangerous contamination risk.
Besides installing Zero Waste Boxes, some breweries will also promote wider community awareness of proper PPE recycling.
The “Pints for PPE” initiative will offer gift cards or merchandise to consumers who bring their used PPE into local brewpubs which are in the program.
