The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact people around the world, including those working in waste and recycling. Many countries have deemed those businesses essential, but that doesn’t mean they all have access to the personal protective equipment (PPE) and other resources they need. That’s where Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, Midland, Michigan, has stepped in to help. Using its global resources, coupled with many partnerships, Dow was able to secure PPE and other forms of aid for some of the 15-20 million waste pickers and sorters worldwide.
Vivien Luk is the executive director of Work , a nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles that helps people in poverty in Haiti find work. Luk says access to PPE is critical because many waste pickers don’t have the option to take off work, or they won’t be able to feed their families. “Because it’s a high-touch situation, a high-touch job, there is a lot of risk of spread, there is a lot of fear about what COVID-19 is,” Luk says. When Work realized some help may be needed to provide PPE or education about cleanliness and prevention, that’s when Dow stepped in to help by setting up a fund for donations for employees in Haiti. Luk says that fund was up and running in just about a week this May, providing necessary masks, gloves and education for Haitian waste pickers.
Dow is a global packaging and specialty plastics company focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The company’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of science-based products and solutions for its customers. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people.
Source: Recycling Today
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