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DISPO
Covid-19
Pandemic Repercussions on the Use and Management of Plastics on the Environment and the Return of the Throwaway Culture
Covid-19: Clienti
The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) has generated an unprecedented impact in most countries of the world. The virus has affected almost every country on the planet (218 in total), spread to more than 60 million people, and caused around 1.645.000 deaths.
Currently, most countries have tried to fight the spread of the virus with massive COVID-19 screening tests and establishing public policies of social distancing. It is clear that the priority revolves around people's health. For this reason, the indirect impact of the virus on the environment has been little analysed.
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The first studies estimated a positive indirect impact on the environment. On the one hand, climate experts predict that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could drop to proportions never seen before since World War II. This outcome is mainly due to the social distancing policies adopted by the governments following the appearance of the pandemic. There is a significant association between contingency measures and improvement in air quality, clean beaches and environmental noise reduction.
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Despite the positive indirect effects on the environment, the new coronavirus has also generated negative indirect ones. For example, in the USA, some cities have suspended recycling programs because authorities have been concerned about the risk of spreading the virus in recycling centres. In the European nations particularly affected, sustainable waste management has been restricted. For example, Italy has prohibited infected residents from sorting their waste. Some industries have seized the opportunity to repeal disposable bag bans. Companies that once encouraged consumers to bring their bags have increasingly switched to single-use packaging. For example, a popular coffee company announced a temporary ban on the use of reusable cups. Also, online food ordering has increased. These growths are resulting in the increase of domestic waste, both organic and inorganic. Consequently, single-use plastics are in higher demand, while reusable alternatives are cut back to prevent viral contagion.
Covid-19: Testo
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the role of plastics as an irreplaceable material to society, proving an inexpensive and widely available feedstock to produce medical equipment.
Covid-19: Testo
The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) became essential to prevent the infection of frontline healthcare workers treating asymptomatic and symptomatic patients and to allow continued functioning of national healthcare systems.
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Mismanagement of these equipments during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a monthly estimated use of 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves globally, is resulting in widespread environmental contamination.
Covid-19: Testo
For Italy alone, a country with 60.4 million inhabitants, estimated monthly needs of PPE for the population during deconfinement is estimated to be 1 billion face masks and 0.5 billion gloves per month.
Covid-19: Testo
This poses a risk to public health as waste is a vector for SARS-CoV-2 virus, which survives up to 3 days on plastics, and there are also broad impacts to ecosystems and organisms. Concerns over the role of reusable plastics as vectors for Covid-19 contributed to the reversal of bans on single-use plastics, highly supported by the plastic industry.
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Alarms about incorrect disposal by the public were not unfounded, as used gloves and masks can now be found littering public spaces. This potentially infectious litter will persist in the environment, potentially fragmenting into microplastics, unless properly collected and disposed of, as it mainly consists of plastics. Single-use face masks are made of plastics, such as polypropylene, polyurethane, or polyacrylonitrile, with classifications based on filtration capacity varying in the E.U. from FFP1 (80%), to FFP2 (94%), and FFP3 (99%), and in the U.S. from N95 (95%), to N99 (99%), and N100 (100%).
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Therefore, use and mismanagement of disposable face masks by the public motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to the increasing plastic contamination. In fact, significant environmental contamination with face masks has already occurred and will need to be assessed in terms of single-use plastic contamination in the post pandemic.
Covid-19: Testo
Covid-19: Elenco
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