The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has issued a new factsheet for Victorians, showing how to dispose of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Authority said its factsheet Disposing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at home and in the workplace provided guidance on how to dispose of PPE waste at home and in the workplace.
“An important tip for everyone: Don’t dispose of face masks or other PPE in recycling bins,” the EPA said.
“Single-use PPE worn during regular daily activities, such as exercise or buying groceries, should be placed in a general waste bin,” it said.
“For households with a suspected or diagnosed COVID-19 case, place disposable PPE and tissues into a sealed plastic or paper bag, and then in your general waste bin.”
It said disposing of single-use PPE items such as face masks, gloves and aprons would depend on where people had used them.
“The instruction sheet shows how to dispose of PPE, from households; workplaces; [and] high risk industries.”
“[It shows how to dispose of PPE from] industries classified as high risk in metropolitan Melbourne include abattoirs and meat processing facilities, construction sites, medical and pharmaceutical supply, seafood and poultry processing, supermarket distribution and warehousing/distribution,” the EPA said.
The Authority’s two-page factsheet can be accessed at this PS News link.
