The
National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) published a poster its
member companies can display to help protect waste collection workers from
COVID-19. The poster illustrates best practices such as hand washing,
using personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning equipment and maintaining
social distance.
“Based
on current knowledge, we are not dealing with a true airborne
hazard. Droplets quickly fall to the ground or other surfaces where they
remain. Touching waste and then touching one’s face is the real hazard, and our
people are wearing gloves and washing hands often. At this time, we are not
aware of any significant public health hazard from waste operations. We
encourage employees to follow the guidelines from the Centers for Disease
Control highlighted in our poster,” NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith says.
The poster
is available online.