RightCycle program expands to manufacturing and industrial environments

Since its launch in 2011, the program has diverted more than 300 tons of material from landfills. The items are sent to recyclers in the United States and turned into nitrile powder and pellets that are used to create consumer products and goods, such as flowerpots and lawn furniture, benches and bicycle racks. 
 

“By recycling rather than discarding nitrile gloves and single-use apparel, customers can divert these hard-to-recycle waste streams from the landfill in order to get one step closer to achieving their zero waste goals while reducing their waste disposal costs at the same time,” says John R. Adams, industrial business leader, Kimberly-Clark Professional. “In addition, we are helping to give our safety and industrial products a second life.”

 

RightCycle enables customers to recycle thin-mil nitrile gloves, apparel (including accessories such as hoods, masks, shoe covers and other items) and Kimtech Pure 100-percent-polypropylene wipers. To qualify for the program, the items must be free of hazardous materials, biohazards and wet food.

 

“As a rule of thumb, if our personal protective equipment products, such as nitrile gloves and apparel, are being disposed of as regular trash versus hazardous waste, then we can likely accept them,” Adams adds.

 

Lundberg Family Farms of Richvale, California credits the program with helping it achieve a Platinum Zero Waste Facility Certification from the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council.

 

Gloves previously represented about 15 percent of the company’s landfill waste, and Kimberly-Clark now expects to divert 4 tons of glove waste annually.

 

“The changeover was really painless,” says Ashley Vega, the company’s sustainability specialist. “And our employees are actively recycling the gloves—even more than we anticipated.”

 

Lundberg Family Farms recycled close to 1 ton of nitrile gloves in its first few months in the RightCycle program, the company says.

 

In addition to the industrial program launch, Kimberly-Clark Professional is continuing to expand the RightCycle program, bringing it to Western Europe and exploring expansion in other regions. For more information, visit www.KCProfessional.com/rightcycle.