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Covid-19 and increase in plastic debris in coastal and marine environments
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This commentary discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic increased plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments through surging demand for single-use protective equipment and packaging. The authors call for urgent policy action to prevent pandemic-related plastic from becoming a lasting environmental legacy.
Plastics are widely used in society due to their many benefits, cheapness and availability and global plastic production in 2018 reached 359 million tons per year. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified the cause of Covid-19 virus in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China. During the pandemic of Covid-19 disease, the use of disposable face masks was recommended as the simplest solution to prevent the transmission of Covid-19. Unprecedented increase in the production and use of masks and gloves is a new environmental challenge that has led to an increase in plastic waste in marine habitats and environments. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 89 million medical masks are required each month to respond to Covid-19. Improper disposal and disposal of these items has caused them to enter the coastal and marine environment through runoff as well as coastal visitors. Disposable face masks are plastic macro debris that can be broken into smaller pieces called microplastics and Ingestion by sea animals. Proper waste management, awareness and education of people about the proper disposal of these personal protective equipment items, use of washable masks, are strategies that can play an effective role in reducing the presence of this waste in the environment.
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