Recycling handlers across New Hampshire are concerned about coronavirus exposure despite federal reassurance.
The current federal guidance to municipal waste operators is that they can keep handling people's trash and recyclables in the usual way without an extra risk of picking up coronavirus.
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“That’s surprising to many of our members and they want to take additional steps," says Reagan Bissonnette, the executive director of the Northeast Resource Recovery Association.
She says on one end, some municipalities that sort recycling are closing their recycling centers, asking residents to either store those recyclables or put them in the trash.
Other municipalities are continuing more or less normal operations – asking residents to consolidate trips and limiting municipal workers’ interactions with the public.
Towns are also seeking advice from the state’s Department of Environmental Services, which regulates municipal waste facilities.
