![]() ![]() Even storm drains will dump runoff directly into natural water sources. Wind or rain can bring them to rivers or lakes that flow into the sea. Spanish cities have already noticed the growing problem of coronavirus litter, which also poses a significant health hazard. The gloves are also not recyclable in Spain. If 1% of those masks are not properly disposed of during a year, that would mean 84.6 million littered masks, many of which would end up in the sea.Īlthough gloves are not officially recommended for regular use, supermarkets and other shops often make shoppers wear one before entering. If half of Spain’s population wears a new surgical mask every day, it would be equivalent to around 705 million masks per month. “We’re not using PPE in the sea, so there’s no reason that the natural environment will have to absorb it.” The good news is that PPE in the sea is totally avoidable if we try,” added Thompson, renowned for having coined the term microplastics. ![]() “The problem is in the design phase – PPE is clearly being used in settings that were never anticipated – and in proper disposal. “The role of plastics to help reduce the spread of coronavirus to keep people safe is absolutely clear,” Richard Thompson, director of the Marine Institute and professor of Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth, told Anadolu Agency. The masks are partially plastic, which can take hundreds of years to degrade, but cannot be recycled.Īuthorities say they should be wrapped in a plastic bag and thrown into a regular garbage can. The Spanish government has regulated prices on one-time use surgical masks, at €0.96 ($1.08) to help increase their use. In Spain, face masks have been made mandatory for all circumstances in which people cannot guarantee 2 meters (6 feet) of distance. Scuba divers in Spain have likewise noticed a fresh layer of personal protective equipment (PPE) mingling with fish, marine life and the usual plastic that covers the seabed. Please, dispose of these items properly if you want the oceans to stay clean,” said Carmen Soto Barrera, a professional fisher in Spain’s Canary Islands, in a social media plea in late May. “We’ve seen how glove and face mask litter in the ocean has increased considerably. But as more and more people venture out after weeks or months of confinement, perhaps taking a trip to the ocean, they are faced with one of the pandemic’s environmental costs – face masks and gloves polluting beaches, rivers and oceans. ![]()
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