Wearing a mask has become the new normal for many people, and it is correct to do so because it can protect yourself and others from contracting new coronary pneumonia. However, the increase in the use of disposable masks and gloves worldwide has also created huge environmental costs. However, the disposable rubber gloves we have used can be recycled. As long as we strictly follow the relevant processing requirements for recycling, disinfection, and remanufacturing. Then, we will once again use these gifts of nature to reduce pollution.

Gary Stokes is the co-founder of OceansAsia. At the end of February 2020, he first noticed an increase in the number of disposable masks washed on the beach. What is one of the biggest consequences? Marine life may mistake masks for food. Stokes said: "We have seen whales and dolphins washed up on the beach, and found plastic bags in their intestines. These masks may also cause similar things to happen."

This is exactly the worrying scene that the world is witnessing. From the Côte d'Azur in France to Miami in the United States, environmentalists have discovered that COVID-19-related garbage is damaging our coastline. Researchers at University College London estimate that if everyone in the UK uses a disposable mask every day for a year, 66,000 tons of plastic waste will be generated.

Disposable masks are generally made of polypropylene, which is a type of plastic extracted from fossil fuels that may take hundreds of years to degrade. At the same time, these plastics will shed microplastics into our waterways and be eaten by unsuspecting fish (and then enter our bodies when we eat seafood). Although disposable gloves made of latex are biodegradable, those made of nitrile and vinyl are not.

But can disposable masks and gloves be recycled? This is a challenge, and an important reason is that the new plastic is very cheap. TerraCycle Europe has launched a new program to deal with this problem. Stephen Clarke, the company’s communications director, commented: “PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is made from a complex combination of various materials and requires special machines and technologies for recycling. The cost of collecting, separating, and recycling personal protective equipment is greater than the value of the final recycled materials. If it is not economically cost-effective, [government departments] have no incentive to collect and recycle personal protective equipment."

Switch to reusable products

Fortunately, there are more environmentally friendly options on the market. Brands that value ecological protection use backlog fabrics or scraps to produce cloth masks, such as Collina Strada. The brand’s founder, Hillary Taymour, who works in New York, said: “During the quarantine period, we couldn’t find new raw materials, so we made masks using materials that we could find in the studio and garment cutters.”

The designer even made a do-it-yourself guide to help people make their own masks from any fabric at home. She continued: "I really hope that people can become craftsmen and have fun. They can make masks for friends, family and the community."

Experts pointed out that in non-medical environments, reusable cloth masks have the same effect in preventing the spread of the new coronavirus. People should wash cloth masks with water at 60 degrees Celsius to kill any viruses on them. Dr. Jane Greatorex, a virologist at the University of Cambridge, said: “[For] people on the street, cloth masks are definitely sufficient. We encourage people to wear masks to protect those around you, because you don’t know if you are asymptomatic. ; [Cloth] mask can prevent you from spraying larger droplets.

At the same time, Dr. Greatorex said that gloves may give us an illusion of being protected. In fact, we don't need to wear gloves in our daily lives. She commented: “I strongly advocate not wearing gloves. If [people] wash their hands frequently, they are protecting themselves and others.”

The global pandemic may accelerate the availability of future solutions

But in hospitals and operating rooms, the use of disposable masks and gloves is more difficult to avoid. For public health reasons, medical waste is generally incinerated after use, thereby increasing greenhouse gas emissions-but there are other options, such as disinfecting the waste before recycling.

Scientists are also studying more environmentally friendly alternatives to replace the medical masks currently popular on the market. Researchers at the University of British Columbia are developing a biodegradable mask made of wood fiber. Researcher Daniela Vargas Figueroa pointed out: "[This mask] uses only wood, which is completely biodegradable. We will use the most abundant wood fiber in British Columbia, where the forestry is highly sustainable."

At the same time, bioplastics (made of natural materials) are another potential alternative raw material, but it is difficult to make it have the characteristics of a surgical mask, so it is difficult to prevent the penetration of tiny viruses. Dr. David Fengwei Xie, a materials scientist at the University of Warwick, commented: “We have to figure out whether environmentally friendly polymers can do this. It has this potential, but we need to do a lot of research in this area.”

This pandemic has undoubtedly made this issue the focus of media attention, which means that we may see more sustainable solutions early. Dr. Xie Fengwei pointed out: "I believe that because of this pandemic, many people will join this field. We hope to find an alternative in the near future."

But for now, what we can do is to use cloth masks instead of disposable masks, so as to avoid disposable plastics as much as possible. Stokes concluded: “People can easily get reusable masks. [We don’t want] single-use plastics to become the new normal again.”