Dive Brief:
- Kimberly-Clark Professional is expanding its RightCycle program to manufacturing and industrial environments.
- The program accepts gloves, shoe covers, hoods, masks, and Kimtech Pure 100% polypropylene wipers. All items must be free of hazardous materials, biohazards, and wet food.
- The material is sent to U.S. recyclers and turned into nitrile powder and pellets used to create products such as flowerpots, lawn furniture, benches, and bicycle racks.
Dive Insight:
The RightCycle program began in 2011 with a focus on non-hazardous, lab, cleanroom and industrial waste. The program now has 150 customers and has diverted 300 tons of waste from landfills. One participant, Lundberg Family Farms of California, said that gloves used to comprise 15% of its landfill waste and the program has helped it receive a zero waste accreditation.
"...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,” John R. Adams, industrial business leader for Kimberly-Clark Professional, said in a statement. "In addition, we are helping to give our safety and industrial products a second life."
Kimberly-Clark has been active on sustainability issues in recent years, with multiple new partnerships on the recycling front. In February, the company joined the Recycling Partnership and in April it released a workplace composting guide with the U.S. Composting Council and Keep America Beautiful.
