ABSTRACT
The pandemic during COVID-19 has had a negative influence on the world's fabric, including health systems, travel, living and working habits, and economies in numerous countries throughout the world. Furthermore, it has had a significant negative impact on continuing global attempts to curb excessive usage of plastic materials. The extensive usage by healthcare professionals and the overall community, of masks, sanitizers, and synthetic-based personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, has resulted in massive amounts of plastic trash, with no effective measures or policies in place to reduce its severity. Wearing a face mask as a way of protection against COVID-19 has become commonplace. However, because present mask disposal techniques (i.e., burning and reclamation) produce dangerous chemicals, huge production of contaminated face masks causes environmental difficulties. Furthermore, disposable masks are prepared of a variety of materials that are either non-recyclable or difficult to recycle. Therefore, as a result, it is critical to comprehend the scope of the problem and, equally essential, to devise a viable solution to contribute to the creation of a sustainable civic society. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
ABSTRACT
The pandemic during COVID-19 has had a negative influence on the world's fabric, including health systems, travel, living and working habits, and economies in numerous countries throughout the world. Furthermore, it has had a significant negative impact on continuing global attempts to curb excessive usage of plastic materials. The extensive usage by healthcare professionals and the overall community, of masks, sanitizers, and synthetic-based personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, has resulted in massive amounts of plastic trash, with no effective measures or policies in place to reduce its severity. Wearing a face mask as a way of protection against COVID-19 has become commonplace. However, because present mask disposal techniques (i.e., burning and reclamation) produce dangerous chemicals, huge production of contaminated face masks causes environmental difficulties. Furthermore, disposable masks are prepared of a variety of materials that are either non-recyclable or difficult to recycle. Therefore, as a result, it is critical to comprehend the scope of the problem and, equally essential, to devise a viable solution to contribute to the creation of a sustainable civic society.