VIDEO: TOOLING UP – How to Properly Dispose of and Recycle Your PPE

Narrator: Welcome to Tooling Up, a series by MSC Industrial Supply Company that provides real-world insights brought to you by leading industry experts and aimed at improving the efficiency and productivity of your operations.

Eddie: Hey everybody, this is Eddie with MSC and welcome to our latest episode of Tooling Up featuring Kimberly-Clark Professional. So for today's episode, we're going to talk about a term that many of you are very familiar with and have probably used within the last year and that's PPE. Now though we're very familiar with this term, we don't talk enough about how to properly dispose of these materials. So to give us some insight today we have an industry leading expert from the team over at Kimberly-Clark Professional in Ashley Davis, let's bring her on. Ashley, thank you so much for joining us today but before we get started, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do for the team over at KCP.

Ashley: Hey Eddie. I have been with Kimberly-Clark for over 10 years working as an environmental health and safety professional and 6½ of those years I’ve spent specializing in waste and recycling with specific focus on helping our mills achieve their landfill diversion goals. Most recently I joined KCP to manage and grow the RightCycle Program which is why I'm so excited to be here today to discuss the RightCycle Program and how it can help other organizations achieve their goals.

Eddie: Well there you go. Well thank you for that little bit of insight and as we get this episode started, you said it, RightCycle, what do we need to know about this amazing program going on over at KCP?

Ashley: The RightCycle Program is a groundbreaking post-consumer recycling solution offered by Kimberly-Clark Professional for previously hard to recycle PPE such as nitrile gloves and this year we're celebrating our 10-year anniversary.

Eddie: No, that's incredible. And so with this specific program, I'm sure there are specific items that qualify. So what's included within this program?

Ashley: Certain PPE products manufactured by KCP that are used in non-hazardous applications can qualify for this program. Some examples are our apparel, safety glasses, gloves, and masks.

Eddie: Wonderful, wonderful. And obviously the pandemic has probably had a great impact on the use of PPE. What do you know about this?

Ashley: Yeah, it's a great question. You know if you reflect back to before February 2020, PPE was something we use to protect ourselves from in-work hazard exposure scenarios like chemical or electrical, you know, but over the past year and a half the world has depended on PPE to go sit in an office, go to the grocery store, to even see our loved ones. Unfortunately, with the increased use of PPE we're also seeing discarded products in parking lots and in waterways, so that's why Kimberly-Clark is so proud to offer a solution for waste streams to help reduce and prevent that pollution.

Eddie: No, this makes sense but Ashley, why is it so important that we're recycling these items?

Ashley: Yeah, so the biggest reason, obviously protecting our planet for future generations, but when we look at our companies and the organizational sustainability goals, you know this program can help with landfill diversion and waste management cost-reduction initiative. In 2020 over 300 tons of used PPE was collected globally from customers participating in the RightCycle Program. That's equivalent to 75 elephants.

Eddie: Wow, nothing short of impressive and I'm sure obviously there's a process involved and this just doesn't happen overnight. So what can you tell us about the specific steps in the RightCycle process?

Ashley: Yeah, the RightCycle Program is very easy to participate in but at a high level here's the steps: Step 1 – Collection. Once the product is used, collect it in designated bins for recycling purposes. We do ask that nitrile gloves are collected separate from the apparel and eyewear. You can collect them using containers or corrugate that you already have in your facility. A couple things that we always consider at our own manufacturing sites when staging collection bins for waste management is placement and visual management. Placement of collection bins should be easy to access for the employees using the RightCycle approved PPE. Bin placement should also not change frequently to prevent incorrect disposal. There's nothing like being done with a product and needing to throw it away and you know it's supposed to go somewhere very specific and it's disappeared or moved on you. Visual management is also critical. Setting the expectation visually helps the user of the products understand exactly where it's supposed to go and help us ensure that it can be recycled. It will reduce confusion and ensure successful segregation. KCP is happy to provide container labels such as posters and other visual management tools. These two things can help ensure a successful recycling program.

Step 2 is shipping. Customers can consolidate the used PPE into a gaylord on a pallet or into smaller boxes stacked on a pallet. All pallets ship to our Millwood, West Virginia facility to be processed and sorted. Once the pallet is ready to ship, contact our RightCycle team to provide an RC number to coordinate with our sorting center to receive in the shipment. Shipping is the only expense our customers incur.

Step 3 – Processing. All processing and sorting is completed by a non-profit social enterprise, Jackson County Development Center or JCDC. KCP has partnered with them for over nine years. They provide training too in life skills for disabled and disadvantaged workers, including those with traumatic brain injuries. Once this product is received in at JCDC, they sort, separate, remove contaminants and bail the materials to be sent on to be recycled.

And finally, Step 4 – Conversion. Once a full load of material is bailed and ready to ship, it goes off to our recycling partner to be converted into new polymer resins that can be put into new consumer products. Some of these key products that can be made are flower pots, adirondack chairs, industrial shelving, and totes. And the great thing about our entire program is it's sorted and processed and remanufactured all in the United States.

Eddie: These are all wonderful things to know, so thank you so much for diving into not only the steps of the process but what some of the end results and products that are being made from these recycled materials can be. So wonderful to know and then additionally, let's talk about the impact that this program is having directly on the industry. So how is manufacturing in the industry in general best utilizing this program?

Ashley: Companies are using RightCycle to achieve their landfill diversion goals as well as waste management cost reduction. When you consider alternative solutions to landfill, you have a couple solutions for PPE waste streams specifically. Waste to energy or recycling. And in a lot of instances, waste to energy costs are higher than landfillings, so solutions like RightCycle where the customer only pays for the shipping becomes more ideal for reducing those management costs. A great example of a company using RightCycle for diversion is the brewing company Sierra Nevada. In less than a year, they were able to divert over 4,000 pounds of nitrile waste.

Eddie: Wow, that is incredible. And then with that for other companies who are either utilizing or considering this specific program, what are some of the additional benefits or potential cost savings from someone utilizing the RightCycle Program?

Ashley: Yeah, at the end of every year we like to celebrate our customers by recognizing them with the Chelsea Santucci Greenovation award. The Greenovation award was established in 2013 and in 2015 the awards were renamed in honor of Chelsea Santucci, a Kimberly-Clark Professional employee who passed away from cancer at the age of 26. Chelsea was passionate about sustainability and instrumental in the creation of the RightCycle Program. It's our hope that her memory and legacy live on through these awards.

Eddie: Well that's very, very powerful in addition to this already amazing program. And then with that obviously a lot of data can be collected through this, so what type of metrics and data are you collecting through this program?

Ashley: Upon receipt at JCDC, PPE materials are weighed and the data is logged for customer metrics. Customers rely on this data as they manage their waste and diversion programs. Reports are sent to the customers on a quarterly and annual basis so that they can track their performance.

Eddie: No, this all sounds very, very relevant and so with that we've now learned what the RightCycle Program is, the specific steps to make it happen, and all of the data metrics and benefits for those who are taking part in this high-impact program. So as we wrap things up here today Ashley, do you have any final comments or insight you'd like to provide for anybody looking into this specific program?

Ashley: By using the RightCycle Program, customers are able to give single-use products a second life, creating a more circular economy and a better world for the future generations.

Eddie: Wonderful. Hey, well thank you so much and then lastly for those who are considering the RightCycle Program, want to learn more, or are looking into all the other amazing projects and initiatives going on over at Kimberly-Clark Professional, where can we look?

Ashley: For more information on Kimberly-Clark Professional’s RightCycle Program, visit kcprofessionals.com on the RightCycle landing page, or mscdirect\kimberlyclark, or contact your msc sales rep.

Eddie: Well Ashley, thank you so much for all the insight that you've provided today and for being our special guest. And thank all of you for joining us on our latest episode of MSC's Tooling Up featuring Kimberly-Clark Professional.

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