- Tons of single-use face masks are washing up on beaches.
- These masks are threatening marine life, and raising questions about hygienic disposal.
- Marine trash, including single-use plastics are problems faced by oceans.
- 70 face masks were washed along a 100-meter section of the beach in just a few weeks.
- Masks continue to wash up on beaches around Hong Kong daily.
- This cited serious deficiencies with waste-management systems in the region.
According to an article published in Castanets, single-use face masks are washing up on beaches.
Harmful to marine life
A B.C. researcher in marine plastic pollution said these masks are threatening marine life, and raising questions about hygienic disposal of the masks.
The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in the widespread use of face masks in South East Asia, some of which have been improperly discarded, says Teale Phelps Bondaroff, director of research for OceansAsia, which investigates wildlife crimes with the aim of bringing those who destroy and pollute marine ecosystems to justice.
“It really highlights the fact we are treating our oceans like garbage dumps.”
The threat of micro-plastics and beach debris
Environmentalists say marine trash, including single-use plastics, was already a problem.
For the past five months, OceansAsia co-founder Gary Stokes has conducted twice-monthly investigations around South East Asia, sweeping a remote beach in the Soko Islands looking for micro-plastic pollution, and conducting other beach-debris research.
The Soko Islands are a small cluster of islands off the southwest coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong, which has a population of 7.4 million.
As COVID-19 spread, masks began appearing on the high-tide line and foreshore.
Tons of masks wash ashore
“Rather than finding the usual one or two face masks, we started to encounter a ton,” said Phelps Bondaroff. “My colleague found 70 face masks along a 100-meter section of beach on Feb. 28. That was six weeks after the widespread wearing of masks.”
Masks continue to wash up on beaches around Hong Kong daily, said Phelps Bondaroff, citing serious deficiencies with waste-management systems in the region, along with marine plastic pollution.
“I hope it is not an issue that arises here on the coast, but it does underscore some of the unforeseen impacts of these types of health crises, and also can serve to identify deficiencies with waste management and public education.“
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Source: Castanet
