Today I wanted to introduce a new section to my blog: Environment. I am excited to announce this fall I will be starting my master’s in global environmental policy. I decided to create this section of my blog to discuss rising environmental issues, management and policy, and sustainable living.

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This week I read an interesting article about how the discarded COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) impacts wildlife. I noticed almost immediately when the pandemic began in 2020 that face masks and gloves were lying in the streets, parks, and neighborhoods. I even witnessed customers at my work who would throw their masks on the round of our parking lot immediately after leaving the shop.

The first documented wildlife impacted by COVID-19 litter was a robin found tangled in a face mask in April 2020. Unfortunately, that robin did not survive. Since then, there have been many more documented cases of wildlife ingesting, getting caught in, or using discarded single-use PPE. By not disposing of our COVID-19 PPE properly, we are intensifying the pollution problem. Furthermore, we are causing harm and/or death to many living organisms. Some examples of affected wildlife include birds, small mammals, fish, and our beloved cats and dogs.

A Hong Kong-based marine conservation organization known as OceansAsia estimated that 1.56 billion face masks entered the oceans last year. This number contributed to the already 8-12 million metric tons of plastic that enter our oceans yearly. OceansAsia also claimed that masks can take up to 450 years to break down into microplastics. Our plastic consumption has been rising for years but as a result of COVID-19 litter, it rose notably.

Plastic pollution in the ocean kills approximately 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, over one million seabirds, and an even greater number of fish, invertebrates, and other animals annually. Plastic pollution costs the global economy about $13 billion each year in fishery and tourism industry losses.

We should try our best to be using reusable masks, unless necessary, and dispose of all PPE responsibly. Try to remember to cut up disposable gloves and snip off straps from single-use face masks to help prevent wildlife entanglement. Finally, you can contribute to the scientists monitoring COVID-19 wildlife impacts by submitting your observations to https://www.covidlitter.com/.

The silver lining of COVID-19 litter is that birds nesting in 2020 used facemasks and gloves as nest-building materials!

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References

Phelps Bondaroff, Teale, and Cooke, Sam. (2020, December). “Masks on the Beach: The
impact of COVID-19 on marine plastic pollution.” OceansAsia.

A.-F. Hiemstra et al. The effects of COVID-19 litter on animal life. Animal Biology. Published online March 22, 2021. doi: 10.1163/1”5707563-bja10052.

Pinto-Rodrigues, A. (2021, March 12). Discarded Covid-19 PPE such as masks can be deadly to wildlife. Science News.