When a recycling company in Beltsville, Maryland, received hundreds of unopened boxes a few months ago, some of the business’ operators didn’t think much of it. “We bring in quite a bit of material here everyday,” Sun Recycling partner Andrew Springer said. “Wood, concrete, drywall.”
Springer and fellow partner Brian Shipp were going to recycle the boxes along with whatever was inside — but Gary Shipp, their third partner and Brian’s father, wanted to hold onto them. “He has a habit of taking things out of here,” Brian Shipp said.
“We pleaded with him to throw them away,” Springer said. But Gary was stubborn. “I knew they could be used at some point in time, either by us or someone else, so I pushed them off to the side and put them in the warehouse,” he said.
Turns out, he was right. Inside the boxes were nearly 36,000 unused and unopened N95 respirator masks.
To read the full story, visit https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/trash-to-treasure-maryland-recycling-company-donates-36k-masks-to-health-care-workers/2252824/.
Author: Cory Smith and Gina Cook, NBC Washington
Photo: NBC Washington