Studies have shown that coronaviruses can remain on surfaces for up to nine days, and in other cases, other governments have recommended that people wait for about 72hours even before the disposal of their facemasks. Estimates per the World Health Organization (WHO) show that nearly 89 million facemasks are needed to control COVID 19 each month (WHO, 2020).
These contaminated littered facemasks are biohazard, and just like syringes and blood-stained wool, if not carefully disposed of, the country risks re-spreading the very virus, they are designed to protect against. Like any other waste, facemask when disposed of irresponsibly, could be washed into storm drains, rivers, and eventually to the ocean, posing a risk for the marine ecosystem. Keep Ghana Beautiful; an NGO whose mission is to provide expertise and programs that engage and empower Ghanaian citizens to take action to prevent littering, improve recycling, green and beautify our communities is urging all to take a keen interest in the proper disposal of their used facemask.
In Accra alone, where solid waste handling is a problem and clogged gutters are rampant, It is feared that our freshwater and marine environment will be stacked with macroplastics that eventually turn up during the rainy season to be microplastics. Most Ghanaian people treat the disposal of used facemasks like cigarette butts. They are often thrown into gutters, empty shopping trolleys, hedges, or even onto the pavement instead of properly disposing of them.
According to the Executive Director, Elijah Mensah; “a survey conducted using community volunteers confirmed that many people in Accra are unaware of the littering issue of facemasks and have not considered the harm it may pose to the environment”. He emphasized that the continuous use of facemasks and sanitizing wipes to reduce the spread of covid-19 is a good thing; however, most of these items end up as litter in our communities and therefore, could increase the threats of the spread of the covid-19 deadly virus when picked up by others.
In conclusion, facemask littering has led to severe environmental and microplastic pollution in the marine and freshwater ecosystems. It is well known that higher organisms, such as fishes, can easily ingest facemasks and microorganisms in the aquatic life, affecting the food chain and finally presenting chronic health problems to humans. Disposable facemasks are made out of plastics like polypropylene which takes around 450 years to biodegrade. We therefore have a responsibility to stop facemask littering to Keep Ghana Beautiful.