Personal Protective Equipment has helped keep us safe from the coronavirus. But now it’s littering streets and making its way into oceans.
Volunteers with the Pacific Beach Coalition have been cleaning up beaches in Pacifica for almost 25 years, and tracking what they collect. During the pandemic, the waste they’ve found has largely changed from cigarette butts and food wrappers — to an overwhelming number of discarded masks, wipes, and gloves.
When these plastic products make it into the ocean, animals can get tangled up, or even eat them thinking they’re food.
While it’s important to continue wearing PPE, volunteers are advocating for proper disposal of single-use items. They also say one small thing you can do to help wildlife in case your mask ends up in the ocean, is to cut the loops before you throw it away.
