Honestly, when I see the pictures of disposable face masks being fished out of the sea, or even if I just go outside and trip over disposable gloves, I get sick to my stomach at the thought of what we are doing to our planet in these times. Everything that we have painstakingly built up over decades of environmental awareness seems to be wiped away in one fell swoop. A disposable mask every 4 hours, if you follow the recommendations – you can calculate the piles of rubbish that this means. What happened to sustainability in times of COVID-19 ?
“About 129 billion masks and 65 billion gloves will be used every month during the pandemic” writes Greenpeace Switzerland in reference to a study in the journal Environmental and Science Technology. A BBC article states that surgical masks need about 450 years to decompose due to their chemical composition. Frightening figures.
Is all that waste really necessary?
Not necessarily, according to different experts. The German Federal Centre for Health Education recommends a community face mask for the everyday life.
So if you are not working in the health sector or suffering from a respiratory disease, reusable masks or hygiene masks should be sufficient. Even disposable gloves are not necessary for the average citizen. In fact, they often lead to a false sense of security, such as touching one’s face with a glove or, in the worst case, contaminating oneself when taking off the gloves. Frequent hand washing is the more sensible option, as Dr. Gerhard Eich confirms.
What about the price?
In Spain, for example, a medical face mask costs about 50 cents on average. That makes 7 EUR per week, assuming 2 masks per day. By comparison, homologated reusable masks are available from as little as 9 EUR/piece – and can last up to 120 washes, depending on the model. Reusable masks are therefore not only more environmentally friendly but also cheaper in the medium term.
There are different models of reusable face masks. When buying them, make sure that they are homologated and I advise you to check how often the masks can be washed. There are some reusable masks on offer that can only withstand 20 washes but are not far below the price of masks that you can be washed more than 100 times. In addition, the mask should be used and cared for as recommended by the manufacturer to ensure optimum protection.
Proper disposal
If you make use of disposable masks (for whatever reason), you should at least make sure that they are disposed of correctly. DO NOT throw them into any open street dustbins, as they can be thrown out too easily by a gust of wind or an animal burrowing for food and end up on the street. It is best to dispose of them in an airtight container with a lid.
Other sustainability aspects of the Corona pandemic
However, the waste problem is only the most obvious of many sustainability deficits revealed by the COVID 19 crisis. A very interesting report by the Fraunhofer Institute points to the lack of environmental, economic and social sustainability revealed by this crisis (for example, complex value chains, the destruction of the habitat of many animals which exposes humans to increased levels of viruses that were previously only found in wild animals, or the lack of personnel in the health care system).
The UN has drawn up a first analysis of the extent to which the corona crisis is impacting on the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights the very complex and interlocking aspects. This is impressively demonstrated, for example, by the school closures: These not only mean that there are gaps in the knowledge of the children concerned, but also that these children often do not receive the meals provided by the government. Children who live in an environment of violence also lose a safe zone and important reference persons. Having the children at home all day long places an additional burden on parents: In addition to their work they have to entertain the kids or even have to homeschool them. In some cases these tasks lead to a reduction in working hours and therefore in income. Not to forget that large differences in access to digital learning methods widen the gap between rich and poor even further.
The report makes numerous recommendations: “Everything we do during and after this crisis must be with a strong focus on building more equal and inclusive societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change, and the many other challenges we face…. Countries need to be steadfast in moving forward with the implementation of these common commitments, especially investments in people, health and social protection systems, and seize the opportunity of a greener, more inclusive economy”.
COVID-19 as an opportunity?
Some sustainability aspects have received a boost in times of the Corona crisis. For example, the purchase of regional products, digitalization and increasing solidarity. Another aspect which is often cited is that the environment is increasingly recovering as a result of restrictions in many countries. Examples cited are clear water in Venice, better air quality and the return of animals and plants to the cities.
What is the truth of these statements? According to various studies, it seems that there is indeed a reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions, especially during lockdowns. Significantly reduced mobility and heating savings on unused workplaces are just a few of the points to mention. However, according to Dr. Johannes Schuler of the Fraunhofer Institute, this is all a very short-term issue. Even if we maintain the reduced level of pollutant emissions, the substances already emitted are still in the soil, water and air, as he explains in this article.
Nevertheless, according to Dr. Schuler, there is hope that the pandemic will challenge our thinking: “There may be positive synergy effects for the fight against climate change.”
Dr. Miriam Bodenheimer and Dr. Jacob Leidenberger of the Fraunhofer Institute also see these challenges as an opportunity “not to rebuild our economy and society back to the way it was before Corona – but to immediately make the economy, consumption and nutrition, health care, mobility, energy, etc. more sustainable.”, as they explain in this post. Some examples given are more home office to reduce commuting and the partial replacement of business trips by video conferencing. Will this happen? I sincerely hope so.
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