Growing plastic pollution in wake of Covid-19

456 million gloves and above all a billion masks.
Is the amount of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) we consume every month.

Impressive numbers, so much so that if we only throw 1 percent of the masks on the ground, we will disperse 10 million into the environment.

The Polytechnic of Turin estimates that the need for face masks in Italy is over one billion per month, equal to about 400 tons of waste produced every day. Already worn in healthcare facilities to protect patients and food from possible contamination, they have become part of our daily life.

The pandemic has led to a surge in pollution from disposable products like plastic face masks and hand sanitizer bottles. Our streets, beaches and ocean have been hit by a tidal wave of Covid-19 waste including plastic face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer bottles and food packaging.