COVID Waste is Polluting Oceans

According to a survey, 25,900 tonnes of plastic waste from the COVID-19 pandemic is equivalent to more than 2,000 double-decker buses. Improperly managed plastic waste, consisting of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, far exceeded the country`s ability to properly dispose of it, the researchers said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for disposable plastics and put pressure on the already out-of-control global plastic waste problem,” said Yiming Peng and Peipei Wu of Nanjing University, Magnitude and Impact of Pandemic. By the end of this century, scientists predicted that almost all plastics associated with pandemics would reach the ocean floor or beaches.

According to a Chinese survey, 46% of misappropriated plastic waste comes from Asia, with 24% in Europe and 22% in the Americas because many people wear masks. Peng and Wu state that their research found that 87.4% of excess waste came from hospitals rather than personal use. “Most of the plastic comes from medical waste from hospitals, reducing the contribution of personal protective equipment and online shopping packages,” they write.

“This is a long-term problem for the marine environment and accumulates primarily in beach and coastal sediments. ” Thousands of tons of masks, gloves, test kits and face visors spilled into the ocean from the beginning of the pandemic this year Until August, it was in 369 major rivers. In Europe, the Donau River carried 1,700 tonnes of the mostly pandemic plastic waste into the sea. At the end of this century, models show that almost all plastics associated with pandemics will be on the ocean floor (28.8%).

Reference:

the Guardian. (2021). About 26,000 tonnes of plastic Covid waste pollutes world’s oceans – study. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/08/about-26000-tonnes-of-plastic-covid-waste-pollutes-worlds-oceans-study.