Used PPE - a problem still to be solved?

What has Greta to say about this?

Our concern over single-use plastic seems to have evaporated!

My daughter tells me they clean and re-use their goggles and visors, but have to throw away the aprons and gloves after every patient. She is seeing one patient after another, so that's an awful lot of plastic. I don't understand why they can't wash their gloved hands in a special soap, dry and go to the next patient. If the gloves are clean then why can't they be used again?

I would presume that anything plastic is sterilised and used again (presumably that is autoclaved) so I don't understand the need for a never-ending supply of PPE. If the medical profession can't sterilise used plastic then they will be adding hugely to an already massive environmental problem.

Agreed! EV.
I hate to think of the billions in landfill, the sea, all the practices we were trying to eliminate before covid.

Why can't we re-invent hospital laundries? along with hospital kitchens and not be relying on imported plastic.

They should be autoclaved and re-used---or put in the hospital incinerator.