The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have touched every aspect of our lives. Most people have had to transition to working from home or going without their jobs altogether. Those who still go into work as “essential workers” have had to take safety precautions to protect themselves from infection. Social gatherings and big events have been cancelled or moved to the sphere of video conferencing.
Even your trash and recycling has been impacted by COVID-19, in ways you might not have realized. Here are a few ways that the coronavirus pandemic has affected the way we manage waste and recycling:
Decrease of Commercial, Increase of Residential
As more and more businesses close for the quarantine, commercial recycling has taken a 50% hit. This isn’t as despairing as it seems, because regular waste has also dropped in the commercial sphere. If no one’s at the office, they’re not producing waste, to be recycled or not. In the residential sphere, on the other hand, there’s been a significant uptick of curbside residential recycling, as much as 30-50%.
Medical Plastics
Hospitals are overburdened right now, thus the need to “slow the spread.” Between testing patients for the coronavirus and treating those who have the coronavirus, as well as other medical issues that unfortunately don’t stop simply because of COVID-19, many medical plastics are being used and then disposed of. This has made conscientious professionals, as well as residents in the know, more interested in recycling medical plastics for non-medical purposes.
Contaminated Waste
The trash and recycling industry is keeping abreast of OSHA and CDC guidelines as they arise in these extraordinary times to ensure the safety of their employees. And you can help, too. In our previous blog, we discussed how to help trash and recycling pick-up crews during the COVID-19 pandemic, by making sure everything is safely bagged and minimizing contact.
While slowing the spread of disease, let’s not forget to slow the spread of trash and recycling, as well, and continue to protect our environment as we protect each other. Don’t forget that Brazos Valley Trash Valet & Recycling offers complimentary recycling along with our weekly trash pickup. Contact us today for more information on our monthly trash and recycling subscription.
