COVID-19 waste: an unintended consequence of the pandemic

Countless disposable face masks, gloves and even hand sanitizer bottles are tossed into the environment, causing distress to the ocean and marine life. WikiCommons

Everyone knows the dreaded feeling of trying to untangle a knot: they always magically appear, never with an end in sight. Right when the knot is about to disappear, it suddenly re-tangles itself into a giant mass staring you right in the face. Sounds like a migraine in the making, right?

Well, let’s say the root of the knot is this pandemic that we have been ever-so-deeply immersed into these past few months. And now, it’s absorbed another tangle – the ocean. 

In these past few months, the ocean has been receiving distressing amounts of pollution in the form of disposable face masks, latex gloves and hand sanitizer bottles, leading to marine animals being harmed, coral reefs being covered and the ecosystem slowly being stripped of its beauty. According to a collaborative United Nations report from 2018, roughly 13 million metric tons of plastic pollute the ocean every year. Now, the pandemic has made that daunting number even larger, to the point where there may be more masks than jellyfish according to the nonprofit Opération Mer Propre (Operation Clean Sea). 

Instagram posts have encouraged people to cut the straps of their disposable face masks before they are thrown out, so birds and marine life do not become entangled in them. Many birds have also become malnourished due to the consumption of gloves, which expand their bellies – giving them the false illusion of being full. 

Laurel Tamayo, a senior environmental science and policy major, witnessed this new reality firsthand. She attended a beach cleanup in her home state of Hawaii over the summer and discovered several face masks and pairs of latex gloves scattered throughout the sand.

“It’s been kind of heartbreaking for me,” Tamayo said. “I wasn’t surprised, but still disappointed to see all the trash left behind on the beach.”

She added that when joining a movement, taking steps that feel miniscule end up having an effect on the greater outcome of an issue. In regards to this specific movement of environmental preservation, acts like opting for a reusable cloth mask, reducing plastic intake, making sure waste goes to a proper landfill and getting creative with recycling are all ways to reduce the pandemic’s impact on oceans and beaches.

Although COVID-19 waste has led to plenty of obstacles that have stood in the way of a healthy marine ecosystem, said Monroe Roush, a senior environmental science major, it has also led to a spark in conversation regarding how to better care for the ecosystem in the long run.

“People need to be properly disposing of their wastes,” Roush said. “That’s true in COVID times and in non-COVID times.”

Even though the pollution in the ocean may not disappear in the blink of an eye, these conversations are needed in order to take steps towards an end goal. Take it from Ariel Maldonado, the creator of the Instagram account @GoGreenSaveGreen, which focuses on reposting articles and memes in order to strengthen their audience’s relationship with environmental preservation efforts. Maldonado, who now has over 63,000 followers, said that now is a great time to reflect on what needs to be done and join this movement for change to the health of the environment – including the ocean.

“If we really use this time now to learn how to be more self-sufficient, it can help us not only in the long run but also propel us forward,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado also suggested developing an understanding on how to participate in organizations that are a part of this cause and finding petitions that strive to hold everyone, especially major corporations, accountable for any pollution, including COVID-19 waste. Even though this dark time will feel like a struggle and oftentimes lonely, Maldonado said, she believes it can lead to an immense amount of success if the population individually works to clean the ecosystem.

“Use this time to focus on the larger fight at hand and remember that it’s not all on your shoulders,” Maldonado said. “We can create a culture change for when everything goes back to normal.”