Leave the single-use face masks to medical professionals

It's scary to see how many people are using single-use face masks - and to see how many are now lying around on the streets, abandoned.

I think people believe that they are made of paper and so will biodegrade naturally. Well, they won't.

Here's a Guardian article on what you can do for the environment during this pandemic:

 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jul/29/ditch-the-gloves-buy-a-litter-picker-but-dont-carshare-how-to-be-eco-friendly-in-a-pandemic

I quote from the article:

If everyone in the UK wears a disposable mask each day for a year, says Louise Edge, a senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace, “66,000 tonnes of additional plastic waste could be produced, and we’re already using way too much plastic. Most single-use plastic masks for general public use are made from different types of plastic. Some of these plastics can’t be recycled, and waste centres can’t separate the components, so most throwaway plastic masks put in household waste will end up in landfill or incinerators. Over time, single-use plastic masks will break down into tiny microplastic particles that are too small to ever be removed from the ocean or rivers.”

Reusable fabric masks are perfectly adequate for use by the general public, and some even think they are a better option than disposable masks.

And don't bother with gloves either. The article states the following:

Should you wear disposable gloves?

Almost certainly not, although there were reports in the past week that ministers are looking into whether to encourage it. “I’ve seen people wear gloves, and I think it makes them feel like they’re protected, but just wearing gloves doesn’t mean that the virus isn’t going to get on the gloves and then whatever you touch,” says Shivkumar. “I think it gives people a false sense of security. The latex ones, which don’t absorb water, are likely to actually keep the droplets with the virus on there for longer. I think people shouldn’t be concerned about wearing gloves. Just wash your hands, and be aware of not touching your face.”

Disposable gloves “are a real problem environmentally”, says Mark Miodownik, a professor of materials and society at University College London, who heads the Plastic Waste Innovation Hub. “I’ve seen people throwing them on the floor. And yet they are no help in reducing the risk of the spread. No one should be wearing gloves in public – it makes no sense.”

So.. think of the future and use recyclable, washable cloth masks and ditch the gloves. Otherwise we will one day be choking on our own plastic waste.