STUDIES have recently revealed that the coronavirus can stay on a face mask for up to a week, and to say that this spells bad news for Malaysia would be an understatement.
This is why the Government – or more specifically, the Environment Ministry – must step up its efforts to remedy the situation before it gets worse not only for the environment but for our overall health and wellbeing as well.
But where to start?
It’s simple, just take a look at the depressing state of our drains, and you will find an answer. There, half-hidden amid wet wads of tissue, used straws and plastic food wrappers are disposable masks in all shapes and colours.
Malaysia has always had a bit of a littering problem, but the situation has no doubt escalated in the past year. This is evident in the number of used face masks being disposed not only in drains, but by the roadside and in the bushes in public locations, among others.
Disposable face masks have become a major source of pollution on land and at sea since COVID-19 found its way into our lives in March 2020, and it is unlikely that things will take a turn for the better any time soon.
According to a study published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal, the pandemic has triggered an estimated use of 129 billion disposable face masks every month throughout the world, thus resulting in widespread environmental contamination.
In Malaysia, the numbers are no less disturbing, with experts revealing that at least 10 million face masks are used and discarded monthly.
But unfortunately, the problem doesn’t stop with just pollution.
Bearing in mind the fact that the coronavirus can stay on a face mask for up to a week, the threat of disposing face masks haphazardly also include the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus to the public.
This is especially the case for waste collectors, cleaners and anyone else who come into contact with the soiled face masks. All it takes is for just one person to not pay attention to their personal hygiene, and this could easily be another disaster in the making.
Therefore, it is extremely important for the Government, via the Environmental Ministry, to play an active role in spreading awareness about this matter, and to establish the proper guidelines for disposing face masks.
More crucially, the public should also be aware that it is a shared responsibility of all parties to help stop the spread of the virus, and start by being more responsible when it comes to the disposal of face masks. – May 21, 2021
