Since March of 2020, we’ve been wearing masks wherever we go. When going into public places, most people wear masks.  It’s inevitable that once or twice you forgot about your mask on the seat, or forgot it in your grocery cart. But it doesn’t matter, you’ll just get a new one. Right?

As humans, I doubt we ever think about the detrimental effect disposable masks have on the environment as much as we should.

According to MIT News, “The Covid-19 pandemic is estimated to generate up to 7,200 tons of medical waste every day, much of which is disposable masks. And even as the pandemic slows down in some parts of the world, health care workers are expected to continue wearing masks most of the time.”

Face masks also heavily impact the marine environment in many ways. According to Independent, 1.6 billion disposable masks entered the ocean in 2020 alone and will take about 450 years to biodegrade. This creates an immense amount of waste that harms marine life throughout the world. 

According to Yahoo News, “The waste from N95 and surgical masks created a mass of plastic waste about 7% of the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge gyre of floating debris that circulates in ocean currents. The masks are usually made of polypropylene, which breaks up into microplastics and are then eaten by aquatic animals and birds, blocking their digestive tracts and causing their stomachs to become stuffed with plastic.”

During the climax of the pandemic, from February to May, Taiwan used approximately 1.3 billion masks. With each masking weighing roughly 4 grams, that results in 5,500 tons of waste being generated in a three month period. 

Most disposable masks end up in the ocean and if we need to make a change now, the damage will be irreversible.

Waste from disposable masks is one of the many horrible outcomes of the pandemic. However, it is still a very relevant topic as the pandemic begins to slow down. Possibly, reusable masks can be a better and safer alternative to single-use-masks. 

“The coronavirus primarily passes from person to person through respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces, so wearing a reusable face mask is the best way to help protect you and your loved ones against the virus while helping looking after the environment,” 3sixty said.

Reusable masks are arguably a win-win. You are overall more protected from COVID-19 and you can save the environment while doing so. Next time you leave your disposable mask sitting on a table or carelessly use them, think about what you are doing to the environment and what you can do to help instead.