Gary Stokes of OceansAsia held masks found on a beach near Hong Kong in May.
Due to the current Covid-19 virus, the general population has taken the precaution to wear surgical masks. However, when an estimated 7 million people wear one to two masks per day, the amount of trash generated is going to be substantial.
Approximately 1.56 billion single-use face masks were estimated to enter the world’s oceans in 2020.
The masks, however, don’t just dissolve into the water. They can remain in the environment for as long as 450 years, and that’s where it gets very concerning.
These disposed, non-biodegradable masks made from polypropylene, weighing between 4,680 and 6,240 metric tonnes, could take at least 450 years to degrade. Microplastics released by them would enter the body of marine creatures, severely impacting their life cycle.
Because of the lockdown, there has been a surge in takeaway food resulting in a massive pile-up of packaging waste, but solid waste management in municipalities has nosedived. As a result, illegal plastic waste disposal has increased by 280 percent, and the rate of recycling has slumped by more than 5 percent.
Plastic pollution kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, over a million seabirds, and even greater numbers of fish, invertebrates, and other animals each year. It also negatively impacts fisheries and the tourism industry and costs the global economy an estimated $13 billion per year
What measures could be taken to further avoid this catastrophic impact?
Try substituting single-use masks with reusable ones, made out of cotton or other environmentally friendly materials.
Demand from your local authorities to educate the public on proper disposal of Covid-19 related waste, provide the means to do so, and impose stricter laws to ensure the protection of the environment.
Develop sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. The list of non-toxic, biodegradable, or easily recyclable materials that could replace plastic includes many well-known materials, such as glass, ceramics, natural fibers, paper, cardboard, rice husk, natural rubber, and animal proteins.
If you must wear a single-use mask, ensure you dispose of it responsibly, where it can’t blow away and turn into litter.
Conclusion:
Fighting the pandemic should not come at the cost of stemming the flow of plastic pollution into the environment. We call for action and responsible behavior on behalf of everyone as this matter is to be treated as an "urgent and essential service"-as the UN recently called- to contribute to combatting the virus and preventing "knock-on" effects on public health and the environment.
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