Unmasked PPE litter: Mandates increase litter, harm environment, study shows

Federal mask mandates in the coronavirus pandemic were intended to protect the public from COVID-19 and reduce its spread, but they also had an unintended consequence: all the masks that were used ended up as litter. According to a new research study, this is the result. PublishedIn the online monthly journal Nature Sustainability 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, mask litter was almost non-existent. It has since been universally embraced by everyone, not just medical, construction, or other professionals. 

“Mask litter started to appear as soon as masks were mandated or recommended,” Keiron Roberts (a professor of sustainability at University of Portsmouth in England) said.  “It’s obvious. If you tell people to put on a mask for their first time, they will be able to see it in litter.

The researchers used citizen-powered litter collection apps, such as Litterati to analyze changes in volume of PPE litter between September 2019 and Oct 2020 across 11 countries. 

They used keywords like “glove”, “mask” and “wipe to track the amount of each type litter collected each month.

Researchers then overlayed information on mask mandates and other restrictions around the litter data to find a correlation between mask rules, street appearances, and the number of facial coverings. 

“Before mandates were implemented, there was very little disposable mask litter. They reported that this increase began to occur after a month. “It’s basically a strong indicator to mandate any item in litter. This supports their notion that if you create a mandate for something, then also support its removal treatment.” 

80-fold increase in the use of mask litter

According to the study, the COVID-19 legislation increased litter’s proportion by more than 80 times. This means that litter contains more than 0.01% to 0.8%. 

Glove use, which was widely accepted before much was known about COVID-19 spreads caused an increase in litter early in the pandemic. However, gloves were quickly discarded after hand-washing was advised over glove-wearing.  

“Glove litter occurred before mandates occurred — people wore gloves when they thought the virus was spread through touch. Roberts stated that the virus began to disappear after education made it clear that gloves were not necessary and that hands should be washed. 

His opinion is that local governments that imposed mandates on mask disposal did not adequately educate the public.

Roberts said that mask-wearing people in shops would then go outside to look for a bin. If there isn’t one, they’ll either place it in a bag and it will fall out, or they’ll throw it on the floor. “If you legislate the use of these items, you should support businesses in getting rid it.”

Researchers don’t think mask mandates are wrong. Roberts said, “We need these items but we also have to educate people so that they can do the right things afterwards, which is to put it in a washing machine if you have multiple uses or in the trash if you only use it once.” 

Harmful to environment and animals

How bad is mask litter for the environment? One, disposable surgical masks can easily choke and strangle animals who get caught in their ear loops. Roberts says that they can also smother ground and limit plant-life growth if not removed. If masks get into drains, they can blockage the pipes and cause them to break down into smaller pieces which can be ingested. 

The worst environmental damage occurs when masks are made into microplastics, which can be smaller than 5 millimeters long and cause harm to aquatic life. 

Roberts stated, “We are just scratching the surface of the effects these have on the environment.” “Let us make sure that this litter fingerprint that we have in the environment is gone so that we don’t dig up gardens in years future and look for masks.”