Thanks, Colleen, for replying!
Yes, I've contacted Kimberly Clark - the manufacturer of our (nitrile) gloves - and they tell me they won't accept contaminated gloves. Many of our gloves contact ethnographic objects, and many of those objects have been treated with arsenic, etc. And we don't always know which have been treated and which haven't. So for safety's sake, we assume all ethnographic items may have been treated. TerraCycle also tells us they will NOT accept contaminated gloves. So far, I'm not hearing of anyone who WILL accept contaminated gloves for recycling. I can't in good conscience send contaminated gloves to programs that explicitly prohibit them.
However, I'm delighted the KC program works for your institution - well done!
-Stu
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Stuart Heebner
Collections Assistant
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Cambridge MA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-10-2022 11:42 AM
From: Colleen Carter
Subject: Recycling lab gloves
Hi Stuart-
We use Kimberly Clark nitrile gloves and are thus eligible to participate in the Kimberly Clark RightCycle Program to recycle used gloves and other PPE. https://www.kcprofessional.com/en-us/solutions/rightcycle-by-kimberly-clark-professional
Hope that helps,
Colleen Carter
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Colleen Carter
DENVER CO
Original Message:
Sent: 03-07-2022 11:25 AM
From: Stuart Heebner
Subject: Recycling lab gloves
Hi all,
The Sustainability Team at the Harvard Peabody Museum is investigating the feasibility of recycling our nitrile gloves. Does your institution recycle lab gloves? If so, how does your recycling program work? Are there prohibitions against including contaminated gloves and if so, how do you navigate those? How does your gloves recycling program work logistically? How have you informed and educated staff about the proper recycling of gloves?
Thank you in advance for any info you can share!
-Stu Heebner
Co-chair, Harvard Peabody Museum Sustainability Team
Stuart Heebner
Collections Assistant
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University
11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2019
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Stuart Heebner
Collections Assistant
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Cambridge MA
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