The COVID-19 pandemic (now endemic) has drastically increased the global consumption of disposable masks since 2020. One would likely have heard that disposable surgical masks are more effective in protecting ourselves against the virus and its emergent variants. Consequently, they are used to a far greater extent than reusable cloth masks. But like other disposable waste items, disposable masks have become a major pollutant in water bodies and the ocean. They are an interesting example to explore due to their universal necessity.
In my previous post, I wrote about why trash fills our ocean. To recap, waste is poorly managed in many places globally. Waste collection services may be inadequate and lead to leakage of solid waste into water bodies. Furthermore, irresponsible individuals may litter with no concern for what happens to their trash once it leaves their hands. Winds pick up the litter, moving them to other environments. These factors definitely apply to disposable single-use masks. However, a problem more specific to them is that where some people might pick up and properly dispose of litter they see in public, barely anyone is willing to touch masks which could very well be contaminated with a virus. Surgical masks are also very light and are easily blown by the wind.
OceansAsia reports research that an estimated 1.56 billion masks entered the ocean in 2020, that is, an additional 4,680 to 6,240 metric tonnes of marine plastic pollution. I refer to the OceansAsia report by Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff & Sam Cooke (accessible at the bottom of this webpage) who explain the environmental impact of these masks.
Firstly, disposable masks are microplastic sources, made from meltblown polypropylene and polyethylene which break down into microplastics quickly (but take hundreds of years to fully decompose). Furthermore, microplastic fibres in the ocean have been found to be vectors for contaminants.
Secondly, the wildlife risk getting stuck and tangled in the elastic earloops of face masks. You may recall being informed to cut the earloops so as to “save the turtles” and other animals being harmed by poorly disposed of masks. Well, this is what such campaigns were referring to:
Lastly, Bondaroff & Cooke say that the surgical mask’s composition makes it particularly susceptible to algae growth. The issue here is that the algae-covered masks get mistaken as food and eaten by marine life like turtles.
Mask-wearing has become essential worldwide. However, they are difficult and economically unfeasible to recycle and a possible health hazard. According to Bondaroff & Cooke, the best solution we have to address single-use mask pollution is to ensure their proper disposal so that they don’t end up loose and endangering ecosystems. To carefully dispose of our masks we can, for example, snip the straps and/or roll the mask up and tie it securely using the elastic straps. Importantly, the government must help ensure that the waste systems can keep up with the amount of waste generated by everyday-mask wearing. Obviously, this is easier said than done since waste systems worldwide are already overwhelmed as it is (which becomes a source of marine pollution). Nevertheless, we have an ethical responsibility to do what we can to prevent single-use face masks from polluting marine environments. After all, this is an issue that we will likely be facing for a long time.
Another easy read that may interest you is this National Geographic article about personal protective equipment (PPE), which includes face masks, and how we can prevent them from being such a problematic environmental pollutant.
Reference:
(access Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff & Sam Cooke’s report here )
