If your team gets through box after box of disposable nitrile gloves, there's a good chance every one of them is ending up in landfill. Gloves are awkward to recycle — they're contaminated with everything from food residue to chemicals, and no kerbside programme will touch them. But if you're running Pacific Hygiene's Hytec nitrile gloves, there's now a straightforward way to divert that waste stream, and the right setup for your site comes down to one number: how many cases you go through a month.
Here's how the scheme works, and how to choose between the two collection options depending on your usage.
Why nitrile gloves are a landfill problem
Single-use gloves are one of those "invisible" waste streams. They're cheap, they're used constantly, and because they're a mix of nitrile and often lightly soiled, most recyclers won't take them. For sites getting through several cases a month — food processing, manufacturing, warehousing, cleaning contractors — that adds up to a genuine volume of material going straight to landfill with no other option.
Pacific Hygiene, through the Tennex Health & Hygiene Group, has set up a landfill diversion scheme specifically for its Hytec nitrile gloves. It's important to be clear on what this is: it's a landfill diversion scheme, not a recycling or reuse scheme — the used gloves are processed into a concrete substitute material rather than turned back into new product. And because the gloves have been tested and approved for that process, the scheme only covers Pacific Hygiene's own nitrile gloves, not other brands.
The scheme is funded by Pacific Hygiene and offered to customers at no cost. It also doesn't replace any regulated waste stream you're already required to use — if your gloves need to go through infectious waste disposal, that requirement stays exactly as it is. This scheme is for your general single-use nitrile glove waste on top of that.
Option 1: Small users (under 3 cases a month)
If your site goes through fewer than three cases of gloves a month — or you're in a location Interwaste doesn't service — you don't need any extra equipment. The collection point is the box the gloves already came in.
- Order the matching lid SKU alongside your regular glove order — there are two sizes, one for 100-pack boxes and one for 200-pack boxes, since the cartons differ in size.
- Fit the cutout lid onto the empty glove box once it's been emptied out, ready to catch used gloves.
- Fill the box with used gloves as you go.
- Email Pacific Hygiene at info.nz@pacifichygiene.com once it's full — the address is printed right on the lid, so there's nothing to remember.
- Seal it with tape and it's collected at Pacific Hygiene's cost, either by courier or by Interwaste.
It's a low-effort way for smaller sites to keep glove waste out of landfill without buying any dedicated bins.
Option 2: Larger users (3+ cases a month)
Once you're through that 3-case-a-month threshold, a cardboard box on the floor isn't really practical — you need something staff can use properly at the point where gloves come off. That's where a dedicated recycling station earns its keep.
For larger sites, the setup is two-part: an indoor collection bin at each glove station, and a larger outdoor bin for bulk collection.
- Rubbermaid Recycle Station(s) — purchased by the customer, sited wherever staff are removing gloves. This is the one-off investment in the scheme, and it's what makes the whole system practical for higher volumes.
- Clear RCP bin liners — also purchased by the customer, fitted to the recycle station so used gloves go straight in and can be identified at a glance during collection.
- An outdoor Interwaste bin — supplied by Interwaste at no charge, for bulk storage once the indoor liners are full.
Day to day, it runs like this: staff drop used gloves into the Recycle Station as they go. When a liner is full, it gets pulled out and taken to the outdoor Interwaste bin. Once that outdoor bin is full, Interwaste is scheduled to come and collect — and there's no rental charge on any of the bins involved. You own the Recycle Station, Interwaste owns and collects the big bin, and the service itself costs nothing.
One rule that matters: no contamination
This is the part worth briefing your team on properly, because it's the one thing that can get a whole bag rejected. Interwaste drivers check every bag before it's collected, and if a bag contains anything other than used Pacific Hygiene nitrile gloves — other brands of glove, paper, general rubbish, anything — it gets left on site rather than collected.
Two things follow from that: keep the recycle stations clearly labelled as glove-only, and don't treat them as a general waste bin. If your team needs posters or signage to reinforce this, that's something we can help put together for larger sites running multiple stations.
| Option 1: Under 3 cases/month | Option 2: 3+ cases/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Collection point | Empty glove carton with cutout lid | Rubbermaid Recycle Station(s) |
| What you buy | Cutout lid only (added to your glove order) | Recycle Station(s) + clear RCP bin liners |
| Bulk storage | Not needed — box goes straight for collection | Outdoor Interwaste bin (supplied free) |
| Collection trigger | Email Pacific Hygiene when box is full | Interwaste scheduled collection once outdoor bin is full |
| Ongoing cost | None | None — no bin rental either way |
Why it's worth investing in a Recycle Station if you qualify
Running this free collection service isn't free for Interwaste to provide — there's real cost behind the outdoor bins and scheduled collections. So if your site is generating 3+ cases a month, it's worth treating the Recycle Station as what it is: a small one-off purchase that buys you a properly managed waste stream off your site, indefinitely, at no ongoing cost. Compared to what you'd otherwise pay to have that volume of waste collected and disposed of, it's a strong trade — and it gives you a concrete, verifiable sustainability outcome to point to, backed by monthly reporting from Interwaste on the weight diverted from landfill.
Getting set up
If you're already ordering Pacific Hygiene Hytec nitrile gloves through us, adding this scheme is simple. Tell us roughly how many cases you go through a month and we'll point you to the right option — the cutout lid SKU for smaller sites, or a Recycle Station and liner quote for larger ones. Trade account holders get tiered pricing on the Recycle Stations and liners as usual.
Get in touch at sales@nzpackaging.nz with your monthly case volume and site details, and we'll get you set up.
Frequently asked questions
Does this scheme work with any nitrile gloves, or only Pacific Hygiene's?
Only Pacific Hygiene's Hytec nitrile gloves are covered. They've been tested and approved for the diversion process, and the manufacturing composition of other brands isn't known, so they can't be included.
Do we still need our regulated waste disposal (e.g. infectious waste)?
Yes. This scheme sits alongside your existing regulated disposal requirements, not instead of them — it's for your general single-use glove waste.
What happens if a collection bag has other rubbish in it?
Interwaste drivers inspect every bag before collection. Anything other than used Pacific Hygiene nitrile gloves counts as contamination, and the bag will be left on site rather than collected.
Is there a rental fee for the bins?
No. You purchase the Rubbermaid Recycle Station and liners once; Interwaste supplies and collects the outdoor bin at no charge, with no ongoing rental on either.
