Disposable masks and gloves add to the already many plastic waste we produce each month and threaten ecosystems
THEpollution caused by masks and the disposable gloves used to limit coronavirus infections is becoming worrying.
According to a study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, since the beginning of the pandemic they have been thrown away 194 billion of personal protective equipment per month: 129 billion masks and 65 billion gloves.
Coronavirus masks worse than plastic bags: the impact on the environment is devastating
Most disposable masks and gloves are made from plastics and, once used, add to the already many plastic waste we produce every day.
Too often masks and gloves they are abandoned in the environment and by now we are unfortunately used to seeing them thrown in the streets, in parks, on beaches and in the waters of rivers and seas.
Coronavirus masks worse than plastic bags: the impact on the environment is devastating
In addition to posing a public health risk - it is waste that they can carry the virus - these devices take up to 450 years to decompose completely, therefore they worsen the already high level of environmental pollution, threatening terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Ispra: "too many masks and gloves on the street and on the beach". The largest virus on Earth is the human being
Even if disposed of correctly, protective equipment cannot be recycled as it is medical waste. They come therefore accumulated in landfills and often incinerated, thus contributing to the release of potentially dangerous fumes.
La solution could be to resort to the use of cloth masks washable and reusable, perfectly capable of replacing disposable devices and with a much lower environmental impact.
Hemp masks arrive: reusable, washable and without the use of chemicals
Sources of reference: ACS Publications
Read also:
- Spanish pharmacies collect used masks to recycle and reuse them
- #buttalibene: the new campaign to avoid throwing gloves and masks to the ground
- Masks, gloves and wipes abandoned everywhere, the new waste and incivility at the time of the coronavirus
