Throwaway face masks clogging oceans
Soon after the pandemic first hit, headlines spoke of a moment of environmental salvation where waters ran clearer, skies turned bluer and nature blossomed in the absence of polluting human behaviour. But as the world returns to some normality, it seems the pandemic could have left a worrying legacy that threatens to reverse years of work tackling one of the biggest environmental issues: the plastic problem.
When the pandemic struck, the priority was to keep everyone safe, and rightly so, but in some cases that meant a totally necessary increased use of plastic to reduce the spread of infection. For example, Perspex screens are needed in hospitals, shops and other public places as well as plastic PPE for health workers.
What’s troubling, however, is the slow creeping return of single-use plastics in wider society that, although
Just as it seemed we were heading towards a greener world, has Covid-19 derailed our fight against plastic? We investigate the issue
introduced with good intentions, could do more harm than good in the longrun if not kept in check.
For example, where at the start of the year we were encouraged to make greener shopping decisions, over the course of the pandemic much of that changed. 5p plastic bag charges have been scrapped for many supermarket deliveries while many plastic-free
Gary Stokes (below), of Oceans Asia, holds up just some of the thousands of disposable plastic face masks found washed up on the uninhabited Soko Islands near Hong Kong. Environmentalists are warning they pose a huge threat to marine life and wildlife habitats. supermarket items, such as loose fruit, veg, meat and bread, have plummeted in sales or become impossible to find. The return of restaurants and pubs saw many opt for plastic cups and disposable cutlery and condiments, too, while reusable cups and refillable water bottles have not been accepted at many major coffee outlets.
All of these measures were introduced out of necessity, but now scientists say they may not actually be necessary and could be contributing to a bigger environmental problem. In June, 119 scientists signed a statement to say reusable coffee cups are as safe as single-use plastics, provided people regularly wash their cups with hot water and detergent. Yet many major coffee chains are still refusing to accept them. Meanwhile, on the subject of opting for food wrapped in plastic packaging, Louise Edge from Greenpeace explains there is, “no need.” “In fact, evidence shows the virus remains active on plastic surfaces much longer than on materials like cardboard and paper,” she says. Then there’s the issue of face masks.
■ Picking up rubbish is incredibly helpful for the environment and we can still do it safely – just use your own gloves and litter-picker and wash your hands before and after. Join Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British September Clean – visit www.keepbritaintidy.org for more info
■ When eating out, politely decline reusable cutlery or plastic gloves if you don’t need them
■ Choose a reusable, washable mask rather than a single-use one
■ Choose food free from plastic packaging where possible in the supermarket where available for now, the effects of plastic pollution could last generations.
Friends of the Earth plastics campaigner Tony Bosworth says, “No one should feel guilty for keeping themselves and their family safe. But the pandemic shouldn’t be used as a reason to slow down action on unnecessary single-use plastic.”
He adds that when the time is right the government must bring into effect the ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton-bud stems, that had been planned for April but has since been delayed.
Louise Edge of Greenpeace adds: “The pandemic has brought our attention back to the important things in life – how we protect our health, our families and our world.
“We need to keep up the momentum on drastically reducing how much single-use plastic we use so we can protect our environment and wildlife, valued even more highly since lockdown. We must protect the health of our planet as well as our people.”
Yours