covid 19

Packaging, PPE and surgical supplies: How COVID-19 is pushing hospitals to reduce waste

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via Supply Chain Dive

cquiring enough personal protective equipment and supplies to test for and treat COVID-19 in the United States was a major challenge in 2020. With case numbers rising and vaccines rolling out, managing supplies and reducing waste continues as a huge issue this year.

Isolation gowns, gloves, masks, needles, syringes and vials discarded after use: some waste is inevitable, but supply chain leaders are finding ways to reduce the quantity, reusing and recycling when possible and adjusting procurement and packaging to help the environment and sometimes their bottom line.

Read the full story here: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/packaging-ppe-surgical-supplies-covid-19-waste/593179/

COVID-19 Lays Waste to Many US Recycling Programs

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via Manufacturing Business Technology

Many items designated as reusable, communal or secondhand have been temporarily barred to minimize person-to-person exposure. This is producing higher volumes of waste.

Grocers, whether by state decree or on their own, have brought back single-use plastic bags. Even IKEA has suspended use of its signature yellow reusable in-store bags. Plastic industry lobbyists have also pushed to eliminate plastic bag bans altogether, claiming that reusable bags pose a public health risk.

Read the full story here: https://www.mbtmag.com/home/news/21138099/covid19-lays-waste-to-many-us-recycling-programs

PLASTICS INDUSTRY “ESSENTIAL” AS FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE WITH PRODUCTS TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS

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via Plastics Industry Association

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) President and CEO Tony Radoszewski issued a statement today requesting all local, state and federal governments to include plastic resin and plastic product manufacturers as ‘essential’ in order to stay open when Shelter in Place orders are issued.

“With more and more businesses being ordered to close during the pandemic crisis, it is critical that healthcare workers have access to plastic products. Single-use plastics can literally be the difference between life and death. Items such as IV bags and ventilator machines, which are of the utmost importance right now, have components made of single-use plastics. The single-use hospital gowns, gloves, and masks that protect our healthcare workers every day are also made of plastic. I would venture to say that every machine, piece of medical care equipment, hospital bed, examination scope and tool has a component made of plastic, most of which are molded to exacting tolerances, which is possible due to the resin and the machinery being used.”

Read the full story here: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/article/plastics-industry-essential-first-line-defense-products-fight-coronavirus