In the past year or so, our lives have been drastically affected by Covid-19. However, humans are not the only ones that have been affected, in many news sites you may have seen reports of how ‘nature is healing‘, trying to find a silver lining amidst this crisis, but is this really the case?
It has been reported that because of this virus, humans have used 129 billion face masks and 65 billion pairs of gloves each month. This is especially worrying, due to the fact that both the latex used in gloves and the polystyrene used in masks take a long time to biodegrade.
Furthermore, people have started to disregard health officials’ instructions on the proper disposal of these Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) in the appropriate rubbish bins. This not only poses a threat to other people due to the viruses it might be carrying but also contributing to litter.
Check out this video by the BBC telling us how the influx of PPE has affected our beaches.
This is an extremely worrying sight, as the use of PPE is inevitable in this period of time and is not going away anytime soon, and due to the sheer amount of it used, is sure to cause issues that have to do with marine pollution.
One possible way to reduce this, as mentioned earlier is through the proper disposal of these PPE. Throwing them into a suitable closed waste bin or bag, used specifically for medical waste, can help minimise not only litter but help curb the spread of disease as the particles can remain on the surface of the PPE even after removal.
To be even more sustainable, choose to use reusable masks and gloves instead to cut out waste altogether!
After doing more research about this topic, I think that the issue that concerns me the most is not the amount of PPE litter, but humans getting into the habit of using single-use items. According to an article in The Guardian, the usage of single-use plastics in Australia was actually declining before Covid-19 hit but rose after.
Due to health guidelines, the use of single-use items has been encouraged in this period. However, should we get accustomed to having this mindset of consumption, it would be hard to go back to using less, as it is undeniable that single-use items are far more convenient than reusables. Furthermore, this increase in consumption would only lead to the exacerbation of issues like litter and waste. Thus it is important that we curb this issue before it even begins to take root, and not use the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to increase consumption.
There is hope though, despite the push towards single-use items, there are many lobbying for a switch towards sustainable goods. A poll by GlobalData in July 2020 showed that at more than 80% of respondents felt that plastic-free packaging and reducing food waste has become more important to them since the crisis hit. In fact, the crisis that we are in now could even serve as a clean slate for new business practices to be built upon.
As such, let us not let this pandemic define our habits, and learn to adapt to create new better ones that would allow for a greener future.
Hi Mark,
What a great post. How much of this medical waste are you seeing on SG’s beaches ?
Also, I have some really cute, reusable masks that I bought from a friend in Montreal who was sewing them for charity. I bought them for 8 CAD each and have been selling them for the same price and donating all the proceeds to Bat Conservation International – that way her charity and mine benefit from her hard work.
I have 5 designs left. If anyone in this class wants, I’ll sell them by PayNow and bring the masks to the exam. They’re quite comfy.
jc
Hi Dr Coleman,
Actually, I have not seen much medical waste on the beaches in Singapore. I think one reason for this is because the masks and gloves do not usually float on the surface of the water like styrofoam and plastic does so it sinks down instead of getting carried by the waves. When there is waste it is usually in the form of disposable masks, but there is not usually a lot of it on the beaches here, which is an encouraging sign as it shows that Singaporeans are more conscious of not littering their masks (or not wanting to get fined for not wearing one at least) As for medical gloves there are hardly any on the beach from what I could tell, as I do not think many people use them here.
Those masks sound great, I will ask the class if they would to get one too! Do you have a picture or sample one for them to check the designs out?
Thank you!
Mark :)
Hey Mark,
What are some ways that we can combat this mentality of the convenience of single-use PPE especially in the midst of the crisis? Personally, I feel like Singapore’s method of providing relatively comfortable and reusable face masks has led us to use less disposable ones. What about other countries though?
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
chuan
Hi Chuan!
I agree with you that what the Singaporean government has done with the reusable masks was a very good decision as I do notice many people wearing them out. I have actually tried to find out what the rates of using reusable masks are in other countries but I could not find any. However, judging from the number of single-use masks used as in the blog post, there is still much more that could be done to try and promote this. Despite this, as can be seen from Dr Coleman’s comment there are people making and selling these reusable masks overseas too. I also think that in some countries, they might be more concerned with getting people to wear masks in the first place, let alone trying to get them to wear reusable ones.
In response to your first question, I feel that this problem should have been something that we should have thought of at the start of this pandemic before everyone got used to using disposable masks, but in the panic, we neglected the possible environmental impacts of our actions (as usual). What we can do now is to try and convince people to make the switch, starting from people in our everyday lives to hopefully even medical staff. However, we also need to remember the hygiene standards that need to be maintained in this time, washing our masks regularly to prevent them from being potential sources of disease transmission.
Thank you!
Mark :)
Hi Mark! Such an interesting post! I was wondering if the reason behind why people, in general, are more inclined to use a single-used PPEs not because it is more convenient but because it is able to filter bacteria more effectively ( https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/askst-how-effective-is-a-reusable-mask-and-how-do-i-take-care-of-it ). Do you think that, in this case, that public health must come first and environmental concerns later?
Hey Sherry!
In my opinion, in this pandemic, of course, the safety of the public should come first. However, considering the current situation in Singapore now, with barely any locally transmitted cases, the wearing of masks is more of a precautionary measure rather than a way to actually contain the virus. Furthermore, I feel that if the government’s stand is that these reusable masks are enough to keep the spread of the virus at bay, it should be sufficient to protect us given the effectiveness of measures so far (regarding local transmissions at least). Despite this, I do recognise that some people may want to take extra precautions, especially those at higher risk like the elderly or children and as such, it can be understandable if they wished to wear the surgical masks due to the extra protection it brings.
Thanks!
Mark :)