In June 2020, based on federal government projections for PPE demand over the next year, the Government of Canada estimated that nearly 63,000 tons of COVID-19 related PPE would end up as waste in our landfills. After recognizing that existing recycling initiatives in Canada were not accepting medical PPE, such as masks, due to sanitary concerns, Vitacore launched the country’s first ever PPE Recycling Program.
Used masks and respirators are disposed of in designated Vitacore Recycling Bins and then transported to the Recycling Facility where they are sanitized, sorted, shredded, and prepared for melting. The shredded and processed pieces are then melted down and made into polypropylene pellets which are then repurposed into construction material such as concrete reinforcement, and textiles.
As one of the largest organizations in Saskatchewan, and a major contributor to single-use PPE, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has partnered with Vitacore to implement the Recycling Program at Saskatoon City Hospital through a CAN Health Network project. This project was launched with the goal of determining if the Recycling Program can be implemented across SHA facilities in the province.