U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Delivers 5,000 Masks to Miami-Dade Waste Management Department

MIAMI — The Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) recently received a shipment of 5,000 protective masks from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The shipment of the masks had been coordinated by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), as part of a large nationwide request made on the part of solid waste and recycling organizations in all 50 states and several U.S. territories.

All told, SWANA submitted more than 1,500 orders to HHS for a total of more than 2.4 million face coverings. SWANA had been asked to organize the requests for the solid waste and recycling industries.

“SWANA is proud to provide this important service to this great industry, which continues to work hard on a daily basis, collecting, processing, and disposing of solid waste and recyclables,” said David Biderman, SWANA Executive Director and CEO, in a news release. “The facial coverings to be provided by the federal government are an important supplement to the personal protective equipment (PPE) that front-line workers and others in the industry and at local governments are using to protect themselves from COVID-19.”

“We are grateful for SWANA’s assistance in protecting our employees during this pandemic,” said Michael Fernandez, DSWM Director. “We received 5,000 masks thanks to SWANA’s efforts. The masks will help keep our men and women safe as they continue to provide waste collection services to our more than 340,000 household customers and process the disposal of nearly 1.7 million tons of waste.”

The masks supplied by HHS are made of 100 percent cotton and they contain silver and copper, which according to FEMA is helpful against germs and viruses.

For more information about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, visit https://www.hhs.gov/.

For more information about the Solid Waste Association of North America, visit https://swana.org/.

For more information about the Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management, visit miamidade.gov/solidwaste.