Story at a glance
- Researchers calculated that up to eight million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste was created globally.
- Most of that waste ends up in the oceans, polluting waters and endangering marine animals.
- The world’s COVID-19 epicenters, like the U.S. and China, were the biggest culprits of mismanaged plastic medical waste.
Plastics have been used everywhere throughout the coronavirus pandemic and now researchers have calculated that up to eight million tons of pandemic-associated plastic waste has been created globally, with more than 25,000 tons entering the oceans.
In a new report, researchers from China and California found that most plastic waste came from hospitals, through medical waste, test kits, surgical protective equipment, N95 masks and packaging. Plastics are unique in that they are durable and inexpensive, making them the easiest material to use for most disposable medical tools, equipment and packaging.
One estimate separately suggested that approximately 1.56 million face masks entered the oceans in 2020.
Researchers confirmed that despite the rapid rise in the general population wearing masks and adding to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), plastics from medical waste coming from hospitals, “dwarfs the contribution from personal protection equipment and online-shopping package material,” the report said.
Globally, researchers calculated that approximately 8.4 million tons of pandemic-related plastic waste has been generated from 193 countries as of August. About 25.9 thousand tons of that has been released into the global oceans, accounting for 1.5 percent of the total plastic waste in oceans.
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Parts of the world that were considered COVID-19 epicenters, like the U.S. and China, had the most mismanaged plastic waste. Researchers found that used PPE in these countries were not always properly handled or recycled, which ultimately led to an excess of plastic waste that ended up in the oceans.
All of that waste can cause marine life to get entangled, trapped and can even ingest COVID-19 plastic waste. Some animals have even died from it, with one penguin found in Brazil to have died from ingesting an adult protective mask. Another fish found in the Netherlands was found stuck in a plastic medical glove.
Earlier in the year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a statement urging Americans to recycle and properly dispose of used PPE. Used face masks, disinfectant wipes, gloves and other PPE should be kept out of recycling bins.
However, researchers of the report concluded that, “despite the potential impacts, the total amount of pandemic-associated plastic waste and its environmental and health impacts are largely unknown.”
The report suggested that public awareness of the environmental impact of PPE and other plastic products needs to be increased at a global level. It also encouraged a stronger effort to create innovative technologies for better plastic waste collection, classification, treatment, and recycling, as well as the development of more environmentally friendly materials.
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