1,600 tons of face masks to be dumped in landfill

MORE than 1,600 tons of face masks could be dumped at landfill sites across Scotland over the coming months.

Waste management firm TradeWaste estimated that 20,000 tons of masks will be dumped in the UK by March 2021 – a year after the pandemic began.

Single-use face coverings may take hundreds of years to decompose and pose a danger to wildlife. Discarded masks can also spread the virus and experts have advised that members of the public should be wearing reusable face coverings.

Research from University College London’s Plastic Waste Innovation Hub shows that if every person in the UK used one disposable mask each day for a year, it would create 124,000 tons of waste.

Half of that would be non-recyclable contaminated plastic waste. Face masks cannot be recycled by normal means and waste disposal companies have recently asked people not to bin them over contamination fears.

Research shows that wearing a reusable mask creates 85 per cent less waste and has a much lower impact on climate change.

Professor Mark Miodownik from the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub said: ‘Single-use masks are designed for hospitals to be incinerated after use. The hospitals are set up for this but there are not specialised collection and incineration facilities for public use.’

In Scotland, it has been mandatory to wear face coverings in retail, hospitality and public transport locations since July, except for people with a medical exemption.

Glasgow is expected to see the highest number of masks sent to landfill, with a staggering 176 tons predicted to end up at the dump by March. Edinburgh is not far behind, with a predicted 146 tons being discraded, while Inverness and Dundee could see 24 and 44 tons respectively thrown out.

Campaigners in Scotland have urged people to move away from all single-use items. Sarah Moyes, circular economy and plastics campaigner at Friends of Earth Scotland, said: ‘Single-use masks have become a symbol of global plastic pollution and it’s clear they cause huge environmental problems.

‘Not only are these plastic masks littering our streets and beaches, but even if they are disposed of properly, they will spend hundreds of years sitting in landfill sites before they even begin to breakdown.’

Further concerns are being raised about the impact single-use masks are having on wildlife. The RSPCA is urging people to ‘snip the straps’ from disposable masks, as animals may become tangled. The charity has helped more than 900 animals caught in litter since the start of lockdown.

Chris Sherwood, the RSPCA’s chief executive, said: ‘For many years the public has been aware of the message to cut up plastic six-pack rings before throwing them away to stop animals getting tangled in them.

Now we are keen to get out the message that the same should be done for masks.

‘Now that face masks are the norm and may be for some time to come, this message is more important than ever as thousands of these masks are being thrown away every day. We’re concerned discarded face masks could become a significant hazard, particularly to wild animals and birds.’

Fabrice Leveque, head of policy at WWF Scotland, said: ‘Polling we carried out during the summer found 76 per cent of people said they appreciated the increase in wildlife since lockdown, so we know that people do still care about nature and our environment even during a pandemic.’

In November, results from the Great British Beach Clean showed a concerning presence of PPE waste on Scotland’s beaches. Face masks and gloves were found on almost 30 per cent of beaches in the UK.

‘A symbol of plastic pollution’