ARCHIVED - Correct disposal of facemasks and gloves during the coronavirus emergency

Different instructions are issued for households with and without Covid-19 patients

Over the last six weeks or so life in Spain has changed dramatically, with people having rapidly become accustomed to wearing facemasks and protective gloves and using disinfectant hand-washing gel, but as that becomes a part of our daily routine a frequently asked question concerns how we should dispose of these items once we have used then.

Ecoembes, the non-profit-making recycling organization, report that over the last month they have received 43,500 enquiries about recycling – a 45 per cent increase on a “normal” month – with many of them directly related to the coronavirus pandemic and the different kinds of waste being generated.

Most of them are concerned with facemasks and gloves which, by the nature of their use, could be infected with Covid-19 and thus represent a threat to public health, with people aware of the warnings issued by the Ministry of Health that if incorrectly disposed of these latex, vinyl, rubber and plastic items could be a source of contagion.

It is reported that the coronavirus can remain active on the outside of facemasks for up to a week, and on top of this, of course, most gloves and many other items are not bio-degradable. In response to the concerns expressed by members of the public various guidelines are recommended:

1. If there are no known or suspected cases of the coronavirus in the household, recycling should be continued as usual, separating plastics and disposing of them in the appropriate container. The only exceptions are gloves and facemasks, which should be deposited in a separate bag (within a separate bin), which should then be sealed in a second bag: other household waste should be treated as usual.

2. On the other hand, if there are cases of coronavirus or people in isolation as “possibles” in the household, waste should not be separated. Instead, the following procedures should be implemented in respect of the items used by the patient:

• Objects such as masks and disposable tissues should be placed in a plastic bag in the patient’s room, without separating different materials.
• Once closed, the bag should be placed in second plastic bag, and the person doing this should then wash their hands thoroughly.
• This second bag should then be placed along with other household waste in a third bag along with nonspecific waste (excluding plastics, etc).
• The third bag should be disposed of in the grey general waste container in the street (in many cases dark green, and NOT placed in the plastic rcycling bins).

One of the most important points of potential contagion is shopping and many supermarkets hand out disposable masks or disposable gloves at the entry point.

As these masks could be contagious after use, it's important to dispose of them correctly and ensure that they go into the bins provided; the company reports that frequently masks are left blowing around in carparks because users can´t be bothered to put them in the bins, presenting a health risk for other users.

The same goes for gloves and it's important to dispose of gloves used for shopping before entering your vehicle and to wipe down the door handle with a bacterial wipe after opening it. Use clean gloves to transfer shopping into your vehicle and always thoroughly disinfect bags or crates used for transporting your shopping afterwards.

This is why so many councils are disinfecting areas regularly transited by the public on a regular basis; the virus can be spread through treading on it, touching any surface or via the cloth of a face mask!

It is also advisable to carry a bottle of watered-down bleach in your vehicle when shopping; wash off shoes before entering your vehicle; diluted household bleach is a useful tool for disinfecting any hard surfaces.

Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application, ensuring a contact time of at least 1 minute, and allowing proper ventilation during and after application. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted. (don´t forget to change clothes and shower when you return home, and wipe down any surfaces which have been in contact with anything brought into the house to ensure no trace of the virus, disposing of gloves as described above.) 

Specialists in the sector of waste management accept that at present large quantities of plastics and other waste are being generated and that these are difficult to manage, but also point out that the immediate priority is to halt the spread of Covid-19.

Image: The Military Emergencies Unit spraying down public areas.

Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest updates locally for the Region of Murcia and the main information for the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/. 

Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time. 

Around Mazarrón news, events and local info: Click to join

Mazarrón, Fuente Álamo, Águilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)

Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)

North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join

What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Don´t panic!