Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Pemanfaatan Masker Limbah COVID-19 Sebagai Upaya Mengurangi Pencemaran Lingkungan

This study examines the problem of COVID-19 disposable mask waste in Indonesia and proposes strategies for repurposing mask materials to reduce environmental contamination, discussing the composition of medical masks, the surge in single-use mask demand during the pandemic, and the environmental hazards of improper mask disposal.

2022 Metode Jurnal Teknik Industri 9 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of Women in Management of Mask Waste in Indonesia in the Era of the Covid-19 Pandemic

This study examined the role of women in managing disposable mask waste during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, finding that women played a critical role in household waste sorting and proper disposal that reduce environmental contamination.

2023 Proceeding of International Conference on Business Economics Social Sciences and Humanities
Article Tier 2

Domestic Facemask Waste Policy Based on Environmental Ethics in the Covid-19 Pandemic: Urgency and Challenges

This paper argues that the mass disposal of face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic created a new source of plastic and microplastic pollution, and calls for environmental ethics-based policy frameworks to govern mask waste management.

2024 Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
Article Tier 2

Perencanaan Pengelolaan Limbah Medis (masker) Rumah Tangga Sebagai Upaya Penanganan Dampak COVID-19 Di Kecamatan Bojongloa Kaler, Kota Bandung

This Indonesian study proposed a management system for household mask waste in Bandung during COVID-19, given that masks are made from polymer-based materials that are difficult to decompose. Pandemic-related single-use plastic waste, including masks, has created a new wave of microplastic contamination in urban environments.

2023 Jurnal Informatika Teknologi dan Sains
Article Tier 2

Understanding Level of Pkk Banjar Purwa Santhi Benoa on Medical Mask Waste Management and Strengthening Health Protocols in Controlling COVID-19 Infection

Researchers assessed community understanding of single-use medical mask waste management in Bali, Indonesia during COVID-19, finding gaps in knowledge that raise concerns about both environmental pollution and continued virus transmission from improper disposal.

2023 INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF URBAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Review of the valorization options for the proper disposal of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers reviewed waste management options for the surge in discarded polypropylene face masks during COVID-19, finding that improper disposal contributes directly to microplastic pollution, and proposing valorization strategies — including energy recovery and material upcycling — tailored to country-level infrastructure and emergency conditions.

2021 Environmental Technology & Innovation 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of college students in disposing used masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in DKI Jakarta Province

Not relevant to microplastics — this study surveys knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of Jakarta college students regarding disposal of used face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, without addressing microplastic contamination from masks.

2024 F1000Research 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Global face mask pollution: threats to the environment and wildlife, and potential solutions

Researchers reviewed the global face mask pollution crisis following COVID-19, estimating massive production volumes and finding that most disposal pathways generate secondary microplastic pollution or toxic emissions, and proposing countermeasures including biodegradable mask development and improved waste management policy.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 86 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of disposable facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic: A focus on microplastics release

This review examines the environmental threats posed by disposable face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on microplastic release. Researchers found that discarded masks undergo physical and chemical degradation in the environment, generating microplastics that contaminate both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The study provides an overview of current knowledge on microplastic extraction methods and proposes strategies for controlling mask-related plastic pollution through source reduction and improved waste management.

2022 Chemosphere 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Disseminating the Biomedical Waste Generation Scenario During Covid-19: an Overview from the Lower Middle Income Country Bangladesh

This study quantified biomedical waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, estimating that about 158 million face masks were disposed of in urban areas alone during the study period, generating 517 tons of solid waste. Pandemic-related medical waste adds a significant burden of plastic pollution, including microplastic-shedding personal protective equipment.

2021 American International Journal of Nursing Education and Practice
Article Tier 2

Face masks: a COVID-19 protector or environmental contaminant?

This review examined how the massive global use of disposable face masks during COVID-19 has created a significant source of microplastic pollution, with billions of masks entering the environment and releasing plastic fibers and chemical contaminants.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of B3 Waste Temporary Hazardous Waste Storage Locations For Handling Disposible Mask Waste In Kampung Kenanga Kelurahan Sungai Jingah

This Indonesian-language paper discusses how to properly classify and manage disposable mask waste — which is considered infectious medical waste — during the COVID-19 pandemic. Improper disposal of single-use masks is a growing source of plastic pollution. Establishing dedicated temporary storage locations for mask waste is one step toward preventing it from entering the environment as microplastic pollution.

2021
Article Tier 2

The Massive Misuse of Face Mask as a Risk to COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin American: The Case of Mexico

Researchers examined face mask waste mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico and Latin America, finding that inadequate waste management infrastructure, poor public compliance, and high single-use mask consumption created significant environmental contamination risks in already strained waste systems.

2021 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Personal protective equipment use during COVID-19 pandemic and associated waste management in households in Sri Lanka

Researchers estimated that COVID-19 PPE use in Sri Lanka generates approximately 88.5 tonnes of plastic waste daily, with 55% of facemasks disposed via open burning at homes, and identified major gaps in PPE waste management infrastructure while proposing pyrolysis-based energy recovery strategies.

2022
Article Tier 2

COVID-19 감염병 확산에 따른 일회용 마스크의 적정 관리 방안 연구

This Korean study examined the management problems with single-use face masks discarded during COVID-19, finding that masks contain microplastic components such as polypropylene fibers that can persist in the environment. The study called for better disposal protocols to prevent mask-derived microplastics from entering ecosystems.

2021 한국폐기물자원순환학회지
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste Management in Indonesia: Current Legal Approaches and Future Perspectives

A normative analysis of Indonesian plastic waste governance found that existing laws and regulations contain significant weaknesses, including inadequate enforcement mechanisms and unclear stakeholder roles, calling for strengthened legal approaches to address the country's major plastic pollution problem.

2023 Hasanuddin Law Review 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Mascarillas faciales: contaminación ambiental, efectos toxicológicos, posibles soluciones y políticas globales

This review examined the environmental contamination, toxicological effects, and global policy responses related to face mask pollution generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, documenting how the surge in mask use following the WHO declaration created a new source of plastic waste and microplastic pollution.

2022 Encuentro Internacional de Educación en Ingeniería 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: A blooming threat to the marine environment.

This review examines how single-use face masks — billions of which were discarded during the COVID-19 pandemic — contribute to microplastic and microfiber pollution in marine environments when improperly disposed of. The pandemic created a massive new source of plastic pollution, with masks breaking down into microplastics and releasing chemical contaminants in the ocean.

2021 Chemosphere
Article Tier 2

Kebijakan Pengelolaan Limbah Medis Pasca COVID-19 Di Indonesia Dan Implikasinya Terhadap Ekosistem Laut

This paper analyzes Indonesia's medical waste management policies after the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for environmental and public health. It reviews the regulatory framework and identifies gaps in implementation that need to be addressed.

2024 Wacana Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik Interdisiplin
Article Tier 2

An urgent call to think globally and act locally on landfill disposable plastics under and after covid-19 pandemic: Pollution prevention and technological (Bio) remediation solutions

This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic worsened plastic pollution through massive increases in landfilled disposable masks and other protective equipment, estimated at 3.5 million metric tonnes in the first year alone. Researchers warn that improperly managed pandemic waste could release trillions of microplastics into the environment. The study highlights innovative waste management and bioremediation technologies that could help mitigate the long-term environmental impact.

2021 Chemical Engineering Journal 109 citations