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With face masks becoming more prevalent in response to COVID-19, they are also becoming a major litter issue and a health hazard for our community.
Single use masks which are littered pose a health risk to waste collectors, cleansing staff, and members of the public who come across the litter. As they are made of lightweight non-woven polypropylene, polycarbonate, polyester, or polyethylene material, single use masks are also plastic-based and if discarded as litter they can persist in the environment for many years, creating risks to wildlife through entanglement, ingestion, choking, and death.
Face masks can also create issues if mistakenly disposed of in recycling bins. Getting tangled in the recycling plant, and putting the health of recycling workers at risk as they remove them at the sorting line.
To lessen the environmental and health impact, face masks should be disposed of responsibly.
- Cut off the ear loops with a pair of scissors. Without the ear loops, there are fewer chances of the mask entangling wildlife if it ends up in the environment.
- Place your mask in the general waste, preferably in an enclosed or lidded bin.
- To further prevent risk, you can also place your mask in a sealed plastic bag. You can use a bigger bag to collect a number of face masks. Place the sealed bag in the general waste bin.
And remember
- Don’t put face masks in the recycling. They can get caught in the specialist recycling equipment and be a potential biohazard to waste workers.
- Don’t drop your face mask or leave them as litter.
