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Due to the corona crisis, many people wear protective masks. However, used protective masks are increasingly becoming a problem.
- To contain the corona virus, many people around the world wear protective masks.
- Disposed protective masks are currently becoming a problem – dangerous consequences are imminent.
Protective masks are currently part of everyday life. They must be worn on commonplaces such as in shopping malls and on public transport in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
But protective masks could also become a problem. Recently, thousands of potentially contaminated masks and gloves have ended up in household waste, according to Euronews.
Portugal’s largest recycling centre, Valor Sul, is located in Lisbon. There, the masks become a danger for the employees, as employee Ana Loureiro reports: “Many mistakes are made. Masks and gloves should not simply be thrown in the household waste. We often find these materials in the sorting centre. We did a two-hour test and filled three bags with masks and gloves.”
Coronavirus in France: protective masks in garbage endanger cleaners
But the situation is not only tense there. In France, too, waste is becoming a problem, as Euronews further reports. Meanwhile, the sidewalks of large cities are littered with used masks. This is causing increasing concern for cleaning staff.
Paul Simondon, a member of parliament at the Paris City Hall, explains how to deal with used masks and gloves: “When you get back home, it’s best to put them in a closed plastic bag for a day. After 24 hours, throw them in the trash. In this way, the employees of the waste disposal companies are exposed to as little danger as possible.”
Coronavirus: Protective masks become a danger – how are they disposed properly?
If protective masks are not disposed properly, the risk of another corona outbreak is apparent. But how do you dispose the masks properly?
“Used face masks and rubber gloves are not packaging materials. Therefore, they must not be disposed in the yellow bin or the yellow bag. This waste must be added to the residual waste for thermal recycling via the black or grey bin”, the Federal Association of the German Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials Industry announced.
Coronavirus: protective masks are becoming a problem for the environment
Mask and gloves wastes are slowly becoming problematic for the environment. Meanwhile, numerous masks are washed up on beaches in Asia, as the marine protection organisation OceansAsia reports. The organisation therefore recommends re-usable or recyclable masks.
- Hector Pascua
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