The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the world. It has affected every human, business, education, job, and economy of each country. Since, as of now, there is no medication that can prevent the spread of this disease, different alternatives have been put into use. Wearing of personal protective equipment, social distancing, lockdowns, and travel restrictions were employed to reduce the virus’ spread. This pandemic has made it that wearing a mask is a must for every human’s life.

 

Although face masks have been a great help in combating COVID-19, it can also hurt us if we don’t dispose of them properly. Used face masks are capable of contaminating different surfaces and can lead to the rise of COVID-19 cases. Along with the destruction of our environment, an example of which is the town of Bauan in the province of Batangas.

 

Back in the June of 2021, visitors and locals of Bauan, a popular dive site, have reported a rise in the number of face masks and face shields being collected from the seabed.

 

Arnel Vergara, a Filipino professional diver, had said that it might be because people do not wear their masks the right way or others do not throw them away properly. Carmela Sevilla, a resort owner and diving instructor, said that masks were adding to plastic bags, sachets, diapers, and packaging materials that are already causing pollution to the local waters.

 

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 particles can stay on a face mask for up to a week. Making it possible for workers in charge of picking up face masks that were improperly disposed to come into contact with these infected masks. It also doesn’t need to be a worker; it may just be a simple passerby that comes across these masks found on the street and gets infected by them. When improperly disposed of, face masks can infect anyone. These are reasons why face masks should be disposed of in trash bins.

 

However, face masks should not be thrown in with general wastes. These wastes would just end up in dumpsites. If face masks are thrown in with these wastes, it would contaminate them leading to dumpsites full of trash contaminated with Covid-19. Therefore, medical wastes, like face masks, should be segregated, and face mask trash bins should be provided.

 

One might ask, “Why not just throw it into a bin? Why provide a special bin?” This can be answered by another question. What bin does this belong to? Face masks cannot be thrown into a biodegradable bin because it is made of plastic; face masks cannot be thrown into a non-biodegradable nor a recycling bin since it has been contaminated. Leaving the need for a face mask trash bin. Having a face mask trash bin would prevent people from coming into contact with these infected masks. It would protect both our environment and its wildlife.

 

In the Philippines, over 25 million masks are made monthly. So if even 5% of these masks are not disposed of properly, one can only imagine the damage that it would bring. It would cause a huge upsurge in cases of the infected, it would pollute our environment, hurt so many of our wildlife. To think that a simple trash bin could prevent all these is magnificent. Having a face mask trash bin is needed to prevent the world’s next plastic problem.

We encourage you to support our cause and sign this petition. Help stop improper disposal of face masks. Help us protect our planet and the life that it contains. Help protect it from the dangers these contaminated masks presents. A simple signature can go a long way.

To further support our cause, kindly visit the following websites:

Website: https://gaiasociety.wixsite.com/oursite

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GAIA-Society-102393199006663/?ref=page_internal

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCjC_dRTPBECVh4EtpoEwvBQ

 

 

Photo credit: James Melville

Sources: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/face-masks-add-sea-pollution-popular-philippines-dive-site-2021-06-07/