Pandemic-waste plastics are threatening the planet

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unmanageable levels of biomedical plastic wastes, researchers warn.

Worldwide, approximately 3.4 billion single-use facemasks are generated and discarded daily. From those alone, the amount of pandemic-related plastic waste generated during the past year is equivalent to about 1.6 million tons per day, according to a report in the journal Heliyon.

Plastic in masks, gloves, aprons, and bottles of sanitizers are overwhelming the capacity of waste management facilities worldwide, especially in developing nations, said study coauthor Nsikak Benson of Covenant University in Nigeria.

Studies have shown that the new coronavirus can survive on plastic surfaces for days, but “the overwhelming nonexistence of effective waste management facilities in developing countries implies that a large percentage of single-use plastic waste generated might end up in open dump sites,” Benson said.

The report calls on governments and policy-makers to prioritize effective waste management of these contaminated plastics and to develop “robust” conservation strategies for sterilization and disinfection of surgical gowns and masks.