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The amount of single use face masks that cannot be recycled in the UK will hit 6.3 billion in the 4 months to March weighing an incredible 20,000 tonnes – leading to claims that the laws on throw away masks need changing to prevent an environmental disaster.
6.3 billion face masks is the amount the UK will throw in the bin in just 4 months – if the rules on mask wearing continue throughout 2021, this could top 19.2 billion – the numbers are absolutely mind blowing
The eyewatering number of non-recyclable single use face masks used in the UK:
The main problem with disposable face masks is that currently as they are formed from heated and pressed plastics, they cannot easily be recycled. So, the only place they can end up will be in the ground.
“When you put your face mask in the bin, it will most likely end up in landfill. However, it gets even worse if the face mask is either deliberately or accidentally dropped – they are blown around and end up in watercourses, rivers and eventually the ocean. This impact can have awful consequences if wildlife comes entangled in the fibres, or ear loops”, explains Green.
Disposable face masks are typically made from plastic in 3 layers with a metal strip and ear loops:
What can we do to prevent environmental harm caused by disposable face masks?
The main thing to remember is that if we choose an alternative before buying a disposable mask then we have prevented the manufacture of that mask and therefore halted much of the potential environmental harm.
TradeWaste.co.uk recommends the following alternatives:
“If you can use a mask where there are no parts to throw away, then you are doing your bit to prevent excess plastic from going to landfill, and in the worse case being blown into local rivers and streams. If you think in a year we will dump the equivalent of 5 1/2 Eiffel Towers in 3.5g face masks, you’ll see the scale of the problem we are facing at the moment”, concludes Charlotte Green from recycling company TradeWaste.co.uk
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