How to Recycle Nitrile, Latex, and Vinyl Sterile Gloves

"Disposable gloves should not go in your curbside recycling bin. They can get tangled in sorting equipment at recycling facilities, and the potential for contamination with bodily fluids makes them unacceptable for standard recycling streams. Instead, use the mail-in and manufacturer recycling programs described below."

"A 2021 study by the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, found that a pair of gloves can be used up to 20 times with proper disinfection. Alcohol, ultraviolet light, or heat treatments can be applied to the gloves between uses to make them safe."

"Gloves contaminated with medical waste, such as blood or bodily fluids, are a form of hazardous waste that should be sent to a local hazardous waste facility. Your community may have a specific program for medical waste; if not, a hazardous waste station will do the trick."

Nitrile, vinyl, and latex gloves persist in landfills for decades as non-biodegradable waste. Curbside recycling bins are inappropriate for disposable gloves because they tangle sorting equipment and risk contamination from bodily fluids. Gloves contaminated with medical waste must go to hazardous waste facilities where they are typically burned. Before recycling, gloves can be reused up to 20 times with proper disinfection using alcohol, ultraviolet light, or heat treatments. Nitrile gloves, comprising 41% of glove sales, are most recyclable, while latex recycling remains limited. Mail-in and manufacturer recycling programs provide proper disposal methods that convert gloves into downcycled products like curbside bins or park benches.

Read at Earth911