Who could’ve ever predicted that masks would become the next big polluter?!
Disposable gloves, masks and hand sanitizer bottles are now being found in large numbers in the ocean, or simply discarded on the streets.
In Australia, surgical masks started washing up on the east coast after a cargo ship lost containers in rough seas.
It’s so gross picking up someone else’s mask… I don’t have a litter picker, so I either use a stick or my hands (and then clean my hands immediately afterwards). I know that this is a risk I’m taking, but I do my best to manage the risk.
Disposable masks contain polypropylene, which is plastic. So the same concerns about degradation, ingestion by marine animals, and absorption of toxins like oil apply.
So, please, take some fabric, borrow or buy a needle and thread and sew your own. Plenty of how-to videos on YouTube.
Alternatively, please buy a reusable mask online.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.