PPE Pollution by Aryan Doshi

PPE Pollution

The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused an immense increase in the use of personal protective equipment. Masks, face shields, goggles, and full-body garments have been effective ways to help stop the spread of the virus. However, a majority of these items are made out of plastic. Improper disposal of the masks, such as littering, causes mass amounts of pollution. One effect of this has been found by the Pacific Beach Coalition. Since its start 25 years ago, the Pacific Beach Coalition has been cleaning beaches to help protect marine life. Before, it was only cigarette butts and food wrappers they had to pick up. Unfortunately, gloves, masks, and other forms of PPE are found in addition to the prior amount of plastic. Pollution was already a problem that required solving, and now there is just more of it. Therefore, it is significant to contribute to a solution. One way to lower PPE pollution is by making sure you are disposing of them properly. Many people may leave their masks on the ground and forget about it. If you can place your mask in a recycling bin, it would slightly lower its effects. In my experiences, I have seen masks on the floor more than they should be. Just a couple days ago when I went to Target, there were 3 masks on the floor of the parking lot. They were light blue surgical masks, however they were clearly stained. It looked like it was sitting there for a while. I have even seen them on the floor in my neighborhood. Normally, I would be inclined to pick it up, but it isn’t sanitary to touch someone else's masks. In my house, to limit the amount of masks wasted, we use reusable ones that we can wash or clean by hand.  However, we still have the common surgical masks for emergencies. Furthermore, the loops of masks should be cut off. The reason for this is animals may mistake these mask loops for food. Assuming it is food, they may try to eat it, getting caught. When the loop of the mask is separated, the problem is eradicated. Like I mentioned before, we do still own surgical masks. So when using them, we follow these rules of cutting the loops. To summarize, the surplus of PPE has affected our planet, and every person has to do their part to help stop this. 

https://newsela.com/read/ppe-saves-lives-causes-pollution/id/2001019797/