Listowel District Secondary School is ready to join other schools in the Personal Protective Equipment recycling program.
The program was started by the South Huron District High School and student trustee MaKenzie Hallam said many of the board's schools are now involved and they want to join them. Hallam said the pandemic helped to open their eyes to the amount and different types of material that were going to waste,
"So, as soon as the pandemic hit we realized there's so much going to waste, like there's millions of people using a mask, so they're being wasted every day, Hallam said. "And then it's just like more getting into recycling and renewing and trying to make a better environment for our selves."
The program was launched by Green Circles Salons in North York and they provide the schools with card board boxes that can be placed around their schools or at other businesses in their community. The boxes are then filled with masks, gloves, gowns and shields that are ready to be thrown out and when the box is filled it gets sent back to Green Circle Salons.
"Then they take the materials in the box and they incinerate them and turn it into bulk renewable energy and the leftovers products turned into asphalt," Hallam explained.
Hallam said they still have to get approval from the school administration and then they'll be ready to get started.
