Concerned by the waste generated from PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), such as plastic gloves and face masks, Frome Medical Practice Green Health Connector, Charlotte Carson, has sourced a recycling box for waste to be placed in. 

The recycling box can be found in the Town Hall main entrance (on Christchurch Street West.) Members of the public are able to use the box to recycle the following items:

• Disposable face masks
• Plastic Gloves
• Visors & face screens
• Safety gear (helmets, bump caps)
• Goggles & safety spectacles
• Earplugs
• Plastic overalls & clothing covers
• Lateral flow tests (to be placed within the plastic/foil bag it comes in)

Charlotte said, "We know that over the last couple of years more of us have been using PPE and that this has become another new normal. But we are acutely aware that this has been generating a great deal of waste."

"We're really pleased to have finally found a way of enabling local people to recycle their PPE, meaning as a town we can help to avoid unnecessary landfill usage and masks ending up littering our beautiful natural environment. Once collected, the waste from the box is quarantined for a set period of time, the box is then recycled to become new packaging and the contents are shredded and blended with other plastic waste to create a new usable product.

"We're very grateful to Frome Town Council for hosting the box in their main entrance."

Items that cannot be placed in the box are listed here. 

* The role of the Green Community Connector and the work Charlotte undertakes is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and is part of the Green and Healthy Future project in Frome, a partnership between Frome Medical Practice, Frome Town Council and Edventure Frome. You can find out more about the project and get involved here.