County workers recently discovered around 48,000 hot mill gloves
bound for disposal at John Smith Landfill.
Hollister – Sometimes you can find the most interesting things in the garbage.
County workers recently discovered around 48,000 hot mill gloves bound for disposal at John Smith Landfill. They’re still in their original packaging, are perfectly usable as normal gloves and are worth about $24,000 in all, said Jeanmarie Martinez, chief financial officer at local packaging company Jam Pak.
Unfortunately, the gloves didn’t work as advertised, Martinez said. Jam Pak had hoped to sell the gloves, which were manufactured overseas, for use in extremely high temperatures.
“They were made to withstand high heat – 500-plus degrees,” Martinez said. “And they did not.”
Glove-filled boxes are now sitting on around 30 pallets at the landfill. Martinez said it didn’t make sense to try to sell them as normal gloves, and Jam Pak couldn’t find anyone interested in taking them as a gift – so the company just threw them away.
Luckily, landfill manager John Stewart spotted the gloves and realized they could be put to good use.
“It was a good call on his part,” said Mandy Rose, director of the county’s integrated waste management department.
Around 24,000 of those gloves will go to the county, and another 24,000 will go to the city, Rose said. Crews from the San Benito County jail will probably use the gloves, as will volunteers with the county’s river cleanup programs.
Rose said the gloves could last for several years. And if it wasn’t for Jam Pak’s generosity, the county would have had to buy them.
County Supervisor Anthony Botelho said he’s grateful for the help because there’s “a huge need” for the gloves. Asked if he was surprised that the company would throw away thousands of dollars worth of equipment, Botelho said: “Well, I’ve got to admit I’ve been overstocked in different supplies in my business (as an orchard grower). They hit the recycler, thank goodness.”
Martinez said she was also happy the gloves will be put to use.
“That’s a large amount of money, and we thought we were just going to throw it away,” she said. “Now I don’t feel like I’m throwing it away.”
