Today I read in the news the words of OceanAsia founder Gary Stokes, who said that he had found 70 discarded masks in an area of ​​100 meters on the beach. A week later, 30 more masks were found at the same location, he said. After reading this, I also tried to look at the places around me. The news suddenly made me want to look at what I had been ignoring. Even in the village where I lived, discarded masks, gloves and sanitizer bottles were somewhat scattered along the way. I represent a difficult village that continues to this day for convenient health and education. In a sense, I'm glad people are moving safely to fight COVID19. Using masks and gloves, they are responsible for their own and the community's health. But sadly, the fear of COVD19 has made us forget that this protective equipment thrown away after use are having a detrimental effect on the environment.

Most of the masks and gloves used during the epidemic have not been reused and these non-woven fabric items made from a chemical called polypropylene are not biodegradable. Also,in the rural areas, roads, and things thrown into the sea can be mistaken for food by birds and wildlife, which cannot be said not to be fatal. It is also possible to reduce the fertility of the soil by mixing it with the soil.

Today, plastic pollution is a very serious problem. Every year, about 8 million tonnes of plastics are dumped into our oceans. This is what happened because of our normal daily routine. In the worst-case scenario, there is a huge reduction in the daily consumption of human beings, but at the same time, the demand and consumption of goods such as masks, gloves, sanitizers, personal protective equipment (PPE) is increasing, which is also justifiable. Due to the failure to increase production as per the demand, it cannot be said that the situation of famine of safety equipment will not be faced in the future. But in next side, if these products in use are not well managed, it will definitely be a challenge in reducing plastic pollution.

Disposing of mask-based rubbish correctly is absolutely essential.

#staysafe

#saynotopollution

reference: http://www.energylivenews.com/2020/03/17/coronavirus-face-masks-could-have-a-devastating-effect-on-the-environment/