July 30, 2020- A common hygienic mask, abandoned in a natural environment, can take between 300 and 400 years to degrade. And, while it disappears, it can affect in multiple ways the flora and fauna of the environment, the water and the soils that make up that space; or even end up in the sea, joining the more than eight million tonnes of plastic waste that is dumped into the oceans annually.
The use of masks is essential to be able to face the health crisis caused by COVID-19, also while enjoying the spaces of high natural value that cover approximately 30% of the territory. However, the use of these protectors cannot aggravate a problem that affects natural environments on a global scale: the indiscriminate abandonment of waste, mostly of plastic origin, a phenomenon known as littering and which the Government of Spain already includes as one of the indicators to assess the environmental quality of the country.
To promote, on the one hand, the use of masks on outings to the countryside, the forest or the beach; and, on the other hand, to warn about the impact of its abandonment or oblivion in natural environments, the Ministries for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic and Consumer Challenge join forces in the public awareness campaign “Unforgettable memories. The mask is for you, not for nature.”
“The abandonment of garbage is an environmental problem of the first order about which citizens are widely aware. In fact, thanks to their demands, the European Union, with the support of Spain, has approved in record time a regulation that limits single-use plastics and that Spain has incorporated into the draft Waste Law, currently in process,” said Ribera.
“Unfortunately, Spain is no stranger to the pollution caused by the abandonment of plastic and metal waste, paper and cardboard or cigarette butts in natural areas and, to tackle it, we must act at the source, appealing to our individual responsibility and modifying our consumption habits. At a time when we must all act responsibly, protecting ourselves and our fellow citizens with the use of masks, it is important to extend that protection to natural environments, which provide us with basic services such as clean air, water and food, avoiding abandoning masks or any other waste,” he added.
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
For his part, the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzón, has called for the “individual responsibility of citizens, key in the three phases of the mask: purchase, use and disposal”. In the first of them, he appealed to “responsible consumption” – one of the flags of his ministry – and recalled that, compared to single-use hygienic and surgical masks, the Government recommends acquiring reusable ones when possible – with a UNE 0065 specification – which reduce the amount of waste generated.
Garzón has also insisted that this “responsible consumption” must be linked to correct use to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “We all have to be aware of the importance of the mask and promote it in our environment because the health of the entire population is at stake”.
The head of Consumer Affairs added that the campaign “Unforgettable memories. The mask is for you, not for nature” was born during the summer period but will run throughout the year. “Society has become increasingly aware in recent decades of the importance of both recycling and not abandoning packaging in natural and urban environments outside its containers. New waste such as the millions of masks, gloves or gel containers generated due to the pandemic cannot be an exception: Responsible consumption ranges from the purchase to the disposal of products or packaging”.
MASKS: TO THE GREY BIN
In general, waste associated with protection against COVID-19 and, especially, masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment, must be deposited in the household waste fraction – the grey non-separable waste container – and in no case may it be abandoned on public roads or in a natural environment.
On the other hand, and in order to reduce the consumption of single-use products, the use of reusable hygienic masks (Specification UNE 0065) is encouraged for use by the population; and the use of single-use gloves is recommended only in specific circumstances, being generally preferable not to use them and to be rigorous with hygiene measures, such as washing hands frequently and avoiding touching the face.
MARINE LITTER, AN INDICATOR OF LITTERING
Every year, MITECO carries out campaigns to characterise litter on beaches in the national territory, which it subsequently incorporates into the environmental profile of Spain, which is published annually. The time series (2013-2018, latest consolidated data) reflects a growing presence of abandoned waste in these environments and shows the predominance of plastic waste, around 71% of the total, followed by paper and cardboard, around 11%. Hygienic-sanitary waste, which would include disposable masks and gloves, accounts for around 6.5% of the total.
Depending on the material used in their manufacture – most include non-woven polypropylene, a type of plastic – masks could be included within the large group of plastic waste abandoned in natural environments. A similar situation occurs with disposable gloves, usually made of vinyl, vitrile, polyethylene or latex; and with the packaging in which both masks and gloves or hydroalcoholic gel are marketed, where the presence of plastic is common.
The fragmentation of all this waste can also constitute a source of accumulation of microplastics in the environment, an issue that further aggravates the effects associated with the abandonment of litter since, among other issues, it introduces plastic waste into the food chain, especially marine fauna. MITECO has been carrying out prospecting campaigns on beaches for several years in order to establish trends on the presence of these plastic particles. In addition, it has incorporated into the draft Waste Law the prohibition of cosmetic products and detergents that contain intentionally added microplastics.
The Government, through the Ministries of Consumer Affairs and Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, recommends the manufacture and use of reusable hygienic masks – specification UNE 0065 – which will reduce the consumption of disposable options. Similarly, and whenever possible, advocate hand sanitization with soap and water.
