Masks are essential for our protection against the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks are manufactured today by top designers in a variety of colors and designs and will likely continue to be worn by many people even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
Regardless of their life-saving features, the use of these masks will create another issue: it will pollute the environment.
According to recent studies, humanity uses 129 billion face masks per month, i.e., 3,000,000 masks per second. The amount of plastic containers we use was estimated at 43 billion per month, with a significant portion of them having special regulations to be reusable.
Such data do not exist for the “covers”, making it likely that most of them end up as waste. Like any other plastic item, improper disposal in the trash can cause the plastic to enter the environment. Pieces of plastic spread into water and soil before eventually reaching animals.
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The creators of this study, the experts Elvis Genbo Xu of the University of Southern Denmark and Zhiyong Jason Ren of Princeton, argue that the specifications of these masks make them particularly harmful to the environment.
How can I discard a mask in an environmentally friendly way?
In April 2020, the governments of many countries issued guidelines on how the proper disposal of waste related to COVID-19 should be carried out, stating that anyone who had been infected by the virus should place their own and their family's waste in a double bag and then in an external box. The external box must be securely sealed and then kept separate from other people's waste.
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For masks, the World Health Organization (WHO) says you should dispose of the mask in a specific way. To dispose of the mask you should do the following:
- Clean your hands first
- Hold the mask by the straps (do not touch the front part of the mask)
- Remove the mask away from your face
- Place it quickly in a closed container
- Wash your hands with antiseptic or cleanser and water
WWF reported concerns regarding the improper disposal of masks, saying:
«If even 1% of masks were discarded incorrectly. This would bring about roughly 10 million masks each month scattered in the environment. Taking into account that the mass of each mask is about 4 grams, this would entail the dispersion of more than 40 thousand kilograms of plastic into nature.»
Unfortunately, trash is not the only way these masks find their way into streams and oceans. Many throw them in the toilet.
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Conclusion
Every country on Earth has been facing this pandemic over the past year. Everyone must protect themselves by wearing masks, but at the same time we must dispose of our masks in an environmentally appropriate way.
We must commit to combating this pollution caused by masks for COVID-19.
Information source: hackernoon.com
