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Face mask pandemic for the environment.

PostPosted: 13 Sep 2020, 11:45
by Workingman
I said it would happen and it has.

Millions of these single use things are simply dumped where they are taken off by the hard of thinking. They are at bus stops, in car parks, outside shops, in the gutter, out the car window at some point, where they then get blown into hedgerows, rivers, lakes and down to the sea. It is far too hard to take them home or drop them in a bin. And they are not recyclable nor biodegradable!

So now the government is being urged to get more of us to use washable ones.

It's a bit late for that. People are already in the habit of sweeping up a couple of 30x or 50x packs / boxes with their beans and ready meals, and habits are hard to break. Then there is the scarcity, and sometimes outrageous costs, of reusable ones.

I have three: one to wear, one as a spare, and one drying on the door handle having been washed on the 'Happy Birthday two times' cycle.

There are plenty of stories of birds and small mammals getting caught up them, and so the RSPCA is asking people to 'snip the straps'. Good luck with that when the morons cannot even be bothered to get rid of them correctly.

Re: Face mask pandemic for the environment.

PostPosted: 13 Sep 2020, 12:32
by Suff
I noticed this in France WM. We have very little rubbish around our supermarkets and plenty of bins.

Suddenly there are face masks all over the ground everywhere.

I'm not sure if it is disgruntlement or not but it is damned annoying.
Especially as we were out of masks and we still have 0 reported cases in this town.

Re: Face mask pandemic for the environment.

PostPosted: 13 Sep 2020, 13:14
by Workingman
Suff, like you I have seen it first hand.

Trolley gets pushed to the back of the car, mask(s) dumped, shopping loaded then drive off.

The masks either get blown away or some poor sod on litter picking duties has to sweep up and bag these potentially lethal things.

It's a world wide problem as well with possibly billions of people doing it.

Re: Face mask pandemic for the environment.

PostPosted: 14 Sep 2020, 10:12
by Workingman
Watch this and weep. Scroll down to the 50,000 flip flops in paradise video.

Not long now before the face masks join in. :roll: