MADISON, Wis. – One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s estimated the world goes through more than 100 billion disposable masks each month – enough to theoretically cover the entire country of Switzerland in one year’s time.
“There are millions and millions of masks being used, just locally every month,” said John Welch, Director of Dane County’s Department of Waste and Renewables. “It’s become very prevalent in the last couple of weeks, how many masks are getting littered.”
Welch says at the Dane County Landfill, it’s clear more “Coronavirus trash”, like masks, gloves and gowns are showing up each day. As long as they end up at the landfill, he’s happy.
“That’s the best place to be putting them,” he said.
Yet Welch says despite surgical masks being made of polypropylene, a type of plastic, they can’t be recycled.
Should they be littered, they’re one storm or gust of wind away from ending up in a storm sewer.
“They break down into microplastics and they could be in the waterways for 400 years,” Welch said. “This is a type of plastic that doesn’t break down very easily in a natural environment, that’s why it’s really critical that each one of us is managing them responsibly.”
“These materials, these plastics, take a very long time to decompose,” said Roxanne Wienkes, Deputy Director of Dane County’s Department of Waste and Renewables. “It’s very emotional to see the photos of the animals who are, the birds picking at the masks, they’re caught up. It is unfortunate, it is sad.”
The best thing to do? Use a reusable mask, both say. In addition, if you have to dispose of a mask, make sure it ends up in the trash.
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