Every minute of the day we throw away 3 million face masks. Many end up as potentially toxic micro- and nano plastic or carriers for other toxicants in the environment, researchers warn.
Recent studies estimate that we use an astounding 129 billion face masks globally every month – that is 3 million a minute. Most of them are disposable face masks made from plastic microfibers.
“With increasing reports on inappropriate disposal of masks, it is urgent to recognize this potential environmental threat and prevent it from becoming the next plastic problem,”
No guidelines for mask recycling
Disposable masks are plastic products, that cannot be readily biodegraded but may fragment into smaller plastic particles, namely micro-and nano plastics that widespread in ecosystems.
The enormous production of disposable masks is on a similar scale as plastic bottles, which is estimated to be 43 billion per month.
What can we do to stop this ? How can we treat this waste in an environmentally friendly way ?
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