Mario Álvarez Álvarez, a spokesperson for the United Plastic Bag Recyclers ( Ruboplast ), said the federal government , through an intermediary, asked them to produce 20,000 body bags that will be used for people who died of COVID-19.
Álvarez explained that the body bags are being sold “to the government, to the states, everyone is assuming their roles amid this public health crisis , in this case, we have the task to make 20,000 body bags, in fact, we have been been working on it for a week.”
So far, Ruboplast has produced 3,000 body bags. In a few more days, they must complete the rest of the bags.
The body bags are much thicker than plastic bags to prevent the spread of the virus .
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Álvarez said that after they deliver 20,000 bags, they will produce another 40,000.
He explained that although it is good to have work, they know this is only temporary and the recyclers are uncertain about the future.
The industry was affected by a new policy implemented in Mexico City in 2020 when the local government banned the sale of plastic bags . Amid the COVID-19 pandemic , authorities temporarily lifted the restriction, which has allowed the recyclers to produce bags again.
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