The new litter: yes, face masks are everywhere

Besides that, those old masks are ugly. So please, as with other more traditional litter, find a trash barrel for it.

Every time period carries its own characteristic litter.

In the 1970s-1980s you would see discarded 8-track tapes (remember those?) unspooled on the sidewalk. Later we had plastic bags stuck in trees and blowing down the street before they were banned in recent years.

And now, in this year of COVID-19 when most of us are smart enough and considerate enough to wear face masks, those pesky masks have become part of our litter landscape.

My wife, Jennifer Kaylin, first called this to my attention a few weeks ago, as during her regular walks with a friend they were seeing many used masks lying on the street, on lawns, in gutters, on sidewalks and in the mud.

Sure enough, on my subsequent walks with my dog and on my running outings through our East Rock neighborhood of New Haven I began to notice plenty of those new eyesores. It’s not just a city problem; we’ve seen them in parking lots of suburban stores, and more. Take a look around.

Usually they’re the blue medical ones that you’ll see at your feet. But sometimes you’ll come across a distinctive handmade one and realize it was dropped by mistake.

For the past several weeks I’ve been unable to find my New York Yankees mask. I’m starting to realize

I probably dropped it somewhere while getting out of my car or coming out of a store. This symbolic loss (given what happened to the

Yanks again this October) was upsetting but at least I was able to return to R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison to buy a new one. Oh yeah, bookstores sell masks now, too.

Contributed photo /Jennifer Kaylin A discarded face mask on a New Haven street.