We’ve been polluting our oceans with plastic for decades, so it should come as no surprise that a lot of it has accumulated. But the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means more and more people are wearing gloves and masks to prevent the deadly virus. The way they’re disposed of is putting marine life at risk. Conservationists say the masks are adding to already alarmingly-high levels of plastic waste in the water around the world. Surgical masks are washing up in large quantities on the shores of California – a city that has overwhelmingly embraced face coverings to fight the deadly virus:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 23 million cases of COVID-19 have been record… Read More
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 23 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded so far, with over 8,00,000 deaths, the world over. The U.S. alone has more than 5.5 million cases and 1,74,000 deaths. Due to COVID-19, more people wear masks to prevent the spread, more personal protective equipment – or PPE – has been found as litter around the world. The issue has prompted environmental organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, to sound the alarm.
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Some states in the U.S. have instituted fines for littering involving masks and gloves, and police departments, like the one in Swampscott, Massachusetts, have warned that improperly discarding PPE is a crime. But the way they’re disposed of is putting marine life at risk.