Logan city officials are advising residents that paper face masks are not recyclable and that those items should be disposed of properly.
LOGAN – In the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, city officials here are reminding residents of proper protocols for the disposal of face coverings.
“Paper masks are not recyclable,” according to Emily Malik, a city recycling liaison. “While we appreciate that so many residents are wearing masks, we are seeing an increase in masks being (inappropriately) disposed of in recycling containers — and also as litter.
“Please make sure that you are disposing of masks properly by placing them in garbage containers, preferably with garbage in a tied bag,” she adds.
While the city of Logan’s mandatory mask mandate expired Aug. 30, city officials are continuing to urge residents and visitors to wear face coverings indoors and outdoors whenever social distancing is not possible.
The World Health Organization has advised that paper masks should be replaced as soon as they become damp and that single-use masks should never be reused.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued step-by-step instructions for the safe disposal of face coverings.
CDC experts say that a face covering should be gently removed so as not to disturb liquid or solid contaminants from its surface.
The used mask should then be placed in a tightly sealed plastic bag. The CDC suggests that a plastic grocery sack or zip lock bag be used for that purpose.
The sealed bag should then be placed in a trash can or waste disposal unit.
The CDC also warns individuals to immediately wash their hands after disposing of a mask and prior to donning another face covering.
“We take the health and safety of city employees and those of Mountain Fiber (a Hyrum-based recycling contractor) very seriously,” Malik explains. “With increasing cases (of COVID-19) in our community, we ask for everyone’s cooperation in making sure that masks are being disposed of properly.”