Over the past few months, I find them everywhere: light blue and white masks strewn across sidewalks near my home, clumped in mounds in garbage cans, and littered in patches on grocery stores’ linoleum floors. Inspired by a recent webinar on the plastic waste and pollution crisis, I eventually can’t help but wonder at the effects of and possible solutions to this unprecedented rise in disposable mask waste. I have researched the matter for several weeks, learning that disposable masks are now a symbol of plastic pollution’s resurgence around the world. However, through key individual lifestyle changes such as wearing masks made of cloth instead, we can remedy the environmental harm done by plastic masks while inspiring future advances in the movement against plastic waste.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and health concerns, approximately 3.4 billion face masks are now used daily around the world, with the United States alone discarding 220 million masks per day. Though masks appear to be composed mostly of paper or cloth, 70% of the weight of a typical disposable mask actually comes from plastic, and is found in the earloops and clip over the nose. These plastic parts are nonbiodegradable and unable to break down within up to hundreds of years. Recycling disposable masks is also inefficient since they are made of different materials that are difficult to separate. Furthermore, improper management may lead to contamination since the COVID-19 virus lives up to seven days on a disposable mask. 

Through littering and inadequate waste management, 1.56 billion face masks entered the ocean in 2020. Masks can pose a fatal threat for marine life, and birds and people’s pets on polluted shorelines may ingest or become entangled with the waste. The microplastics that form from disintegrated plastics are the size of sesame seeds and easily pass through marine food chains, eventually entering human bodies when we eat contaminated fish. The impact of microplastics on human health is not yet clear, but they still harm animals like oysters and seabirds. Prior to the pandemic, plastic pollution killed millions of marine animals per year, and the death count will only rise as masks continue to pollute waters.

The creation and disposal of surgical masks also exacerbate other environmental issues, particularly the climate change crisis, which is caused by increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and leads to more destructive hurricanes, higher sea levels, and frequent droughts. Microplastics may come into contact with and prevent certain species of plankton from absorbing carbon dioxide, hindering the ocean’s ability to act as a vital carbon sink. Simply producing the plastic components of masks requires crude oil that is obtained through fracking, a process that can release methane and consumes fossil fuels to run the machinery. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions for plastic production in 2015 totaled about 11 million tons, equal to the annual emissions of 2.1 million cars. Moreover, when incinerated among a tenth of all U.S. waste, the waste emits carbon dioxide, particulates, and possible carcinogens that exacerbate climate change on top of endangering people’s health.

In terms of individual action, we can start by wearing cloth masks, an attractive alternative to plastic disposables. An article from a CDC peer-reviewed journal declared cloth masks as fit for use by the general public, and though cloth masks are less effective than plastic surgical masks, the difference between the two types becomes negligible with proper care. When using a reusable mask, make sure to sanitize your hands before and after taking off the mask to avoid self-contamination, wash your mask with soap and water daily, and use multi-layered masks made of cotton and towel. Cloth mask users will contribute to a significant reduction in plastic waste generation and save money from the cost of constantly buying new disposable masks. As an added benefit, I find my generic $3 cloth mask to be much softer and more comfortable than plastic ones. Recommended, slightly more expensive brands include TenTree and United By Blue. And if you ever need to use a disposable mask, it is still essential that you throw it away in garbage cans with a lid since otherwise, masks can fly out and litter the streets.

Though the pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our lives, we must not allow COVID-19 to further worsen the pollution on our planet and undo countless years of conservationists’ work. The current global output of plastic wastes is 644 million tons per year, a 44% increase from 2015’s total, and the billions of masks being used per day has only heightened the number. Disposable masks now symbolize a widespread carelessness toward our Earth, which ties into the struggles faced by the general movement against plastic waste. 

Therefore, by showing a concerted effort to reduce usage of single-use masks, we will inspire hope for future reductions in plastic pollution. The most direct ways individuals can help are by spreading awareness and making small lifestyle changes. We can inform our friends and family about the impacts of disposable mask usage in addition to choosing cloth masks or throwing away plastic masks in sealed containers. We can also support the general movement against single-use plastic consumption by signing petitions to wasteful companies like Amazon, and joining dedicated organizations against plastic pollution, such as Break Free From Plastic. Through these methods, we will exhibit the prudence and care necessary to consider sustainability in the midst of a global pandemic, thus proving that we can do so in better times as well.