The United States has 3,091 active landfills and over 10,000 old municipal landfills. As of March 2021, there are only 550 landfill gas energy projects in operation.
Disposal of Nitrile Gloves
Customarily gloves are disposed in landfills. Used nitrile is not accepted in recycling or composting facilities due to contamination.
Landfills are too overcrowded and compacted extremely tightly, and thus air cannot pass through it. Without oxygen, biodegradation happens very slowly or not at all.
Factors for Biodegrading
Oxygen, moisture, microorganisms, pH and temperature are all necessary for degradation to occur.
A biodegradable glove may have high biodegradation rates in a lab setting, but may not degrade the same in a landfill due to the lack of oxygen and favorable conditions.
Why EcoTek Gloves are the Smart Choice:
- Realistic results tested using ASTM D5526 that mimics real landfill conditions
- Designed to biodegrade without the need of oxygen (anaerobic)
- Biodegrades 92.6% in 2.5 years, and what remains is organic matter
- Tested not to leave toxic residues behind; claim is 100% validated with 3rd party testing
- Does not require special disposal facilities
- Transparent claims that comply with Federal Trade Commission Green Guide
Customer Benefits with EcoTek:
- Reduced Carbon Footprint
- Reduced Landfill Waste
- Prevents waste pollution
- Supports stakeholder’s Green Programs
- Economic benefits saves money
- Qualify for local/national incentive for going green
- Increase employee or user’s moral for doing something good
- Improve company image
Let’s Set the Record Straight. Here are claims made by other manufacturers:
- Biodegradable gloves that converts waste to energy: There are only 17% of landfills that convert waste to energy; 83% of US landfills do not have this capability. So, unless you are making sure that your gloves are going to one of those landfills then they are not being converted to energy.
- High biodegradation rate in short time, glove is tested with ASTM D5511: These test conditions are optimized and manipulated to encourage degradation in the sample; results are not realistic.
- High biodegradation rate tested in compost conditions: Nitrile gloves can contaminate composts and are not accepted in those facilities.
- Recyclable nitrile gloves cannot be recycled in your curbside recycling cart, they must be sent in a special recycling facility: Stakeholders face limited access and expensive shipping, plus a recycling fee.
- Biodegradable claims that are not fully tested and validated: Gloves are tested for a short period of time and then estimates are used to calculate degradation. This misleads the stakeholders.
| Additional Information | |||
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| EcoTek Flyer |
EcoTek Briefing |
Biodegradability Testing Method |
EcoTek Life Cycle Infographic |
