Do you remember when Regan and Hannah presented this fall about our amazing pilgrimage trip to Wyoming? They told the story of our trip, day by day.
I frequently think about one of the moments Regan described, when we saw a herd of buffalo by the side of the road. On this particular day, we saw a baby buffalo eating a blue surgical mask. There, in the midst of vast plains and enormous mountains, we were confronted with another layer of cost of the pandemic.
Where will the billions of masks we're producing go??
Landfills.
Oceans.
The mouths of baby wild animals.
So, I found a way for us to recycle some of those masks.
If you have used surgical, KN95, N95, or dust masks, bring them to St. Paul's! We're returning to in-person worship on Sunday, February 6th. Starting that day, please bring in your disposable masks and deposit them in this recycling box. It's right by the main door to the sanctuary.
We need to fill up this whole big box, so collect used masks from your family and neighbors, too!
(And please don't put any other PPE in this box; it's disposable masks only.)
We wear our masks because it's our responsibility to care for our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31). But it's also our responsibility to be good stewards of God's creation (Genesis 1:15). This is the best option I've found for doing both in this circumstance.
To read more about how the mask recycling process works, check out Terracycle's Zero Waste Boxes website.