By Yumiko Perera
Giving rise to a new environmental challenge, the increased consumption of single-use facemasks has begun to pose an imminent threat to water sources as well as marine and wildlife the world over. Carelessly discarded facemasks lodged in little nooks and corners of gutters alongside alleyways and roads have unfortunately become a common sight in most urban areas.
It is estimated that Sri Lanka disposes of nearly 15 million single-use facemasks every day, and not all of them end up in a landfill. While facemasks, disposable or otherwise, have become a necessity for obvious reasons, countless single-use facemasks that have been discarded carelessly are making their way into our water sources, adding to the plastic waste that is already choking our rivers and oceans.
The Minister of Environment had recently highlighted that there had been multiple reports from across the world that birds were found entangled in facemasks, suffocated and immobile. Thus, he further urged the Sri Lankan public to cut off the straps on either side of the facemask before discarding them properly.
Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera shared: “This could be the next big environmental threat that we may have to face as a country. The proper disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential, as most of them are made of certain plastic components that do not waste away with time.”
Single-use facemasks are made using a variety of polymers, including polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyester. While there may be variations in the formation of the product from one manufacturer to another, the key takeaway is that single-use masks, just as any other products made from plastic polymers, may take centuries to disintegrate. While the rate at which fragmentation happens depends on factors like temperature and the amount of UV light available, even then, tiny microplastics particles would remain.
While authorities, environmentalists, and environmental activists have fought long and hard to tackle the increase in plastic waste, the increased use of single-use facemasks has resulted in an increased generation of medical waste in the country, which only seems to add to the issue.
The brunt of plastic waste 
Pearl Protectors Co-ordinator Muditha Katuwawala, speaking with The Sunday Morning, highlighted that they have come across an alarming number of single-use facemasks alongside the shores during their routine beach clean-ups.
“A significant level of algae growth can be seen in the facemasks that we have picked up from beaches. When these masks are in the sea, fish and larger marine life mistake it to be food. Usually, micro-organisms like algae do not attach themselves to plastic waste; masks, on the other hand, seem to be the opposite. This increases the chances of marine animals consuming them,” Katuwawala shared.
Katuwawala also pointed out that facemasks get entangled in coral reefs, and with time, the sediment deposition may smother coral reefs, hindering regeneration.
Reiterating that the threat is twofold when it comes to birds and other animals, Katuwawala shared: “Birds often mistake facemasks floating in the ocean for fish, and the straps could get entangled around their necks, and feet. While it is important to cut off the straps of the facemasks before you dispose of them, it is even more important that you properly dispose of them.”
Although similar incidents have not been reported in Sri Lanka thus far, he shared that it is indeed a possibility, especially given the number of single-use facemasks that can be found carelessly discarded along the shores across the island.
When marine animals like crustaceans and fish consume single-use masks, just like similar plastic waste, the food chain would be impacted, as there is a chance that these microfibres could ultimately end up on our plates.
Need for newer and better policies
According to Katuwawala, what lacks in Sri Lanka is a mechanism where the clinical waste would be collected from domestic households, and disposed of according to a certain standard.
“The authorities in co-ordination with the Government have set up certain clinical waste management methods in hospitals across the island, where clinical waste is incinerated as per regulated safety standards. While this is done in an incineration facility, the single-use facemasks and other medical waste used in domestic households are disposed of through local government authorities,” observed Katuwawala.
“What is lacking in Sri Lanka is a mechanism where they would collect medical waste from the public, and preferably incinerate them,” Katuwawala said in conclusion.
Concurring with Katuwawala’s views, environmentalist and environmental activist Sajeewa Chamikara stated: “The first thing we must all understand is, even if you snip the straps on either side of the mask, they would eventually go back to the environment itself. If medical waste such as single-use masks end up in a landfill after being discarded appropriately, it wouldn’t help the battle against waste mismanagement at all, as single-use masks contain plastic fibres that do not decay with time.
“Considering how effective the waste management policies of the country are, the chances that these waste materials would end up in water sources such as a river or the ocean is more likely, which is precisely why Sri Lanka needs to come up with a better policy for domestic medical waste management.”
According to Chamikara, an alarming number of single-use facemasks had been detected alongside the banks of the “Seetha Gangula” recently, discarded haphazardly by the pilgrims visiting the Sri Pada Mountain.
According to Chamikara, the authorities should opt for a mechanism similar to the one they already implement when it comes to collecting food waste, plastic waste, and other waste separately.
“There needs to be a separate mechanism where the local authorities would collect masks and other PPE material that have been made for domestic use, just like they do for recyclable garbage, etc.,” he said.
Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Director – Waste Management Unit Ajith Weerasundara said: “The clinical waste from hospitals are put through an incineration process, but single-use facemasks used domestically are considered general waste, which is collected through local authorities, especially urban waste.
“This is exactly why the general public needs to be educated on how to dispose of facemasks properly. Not only does it pose a threat to the water sources, but it has also proven to be lethal to marine and wildlife, as it still contains polycarbonate materials that do not waste away with time,” Weerasundara observed.
According to Weerasundara, a centralised clinical waste treatment facility had been set up in 2014 through a tripartite agreement with the Ministry of Health, the CEA, and Sisili Hanaro Encare (Pvt.) Ltd. to manage clinical waste in the country, under the purview of the CEA.
Although this process only concerns clinical waste disposed of from hospitals, there still isn’t a mechanism to tackle medical waste that is being discarded after domestic use. While the authorities have asked the general public to opt for measures such as burning facemasks after using them, it may not be a practical solution, especially in the long-run.
Photos © Pearl Protectors
Pearl Protectors Co-ordinator Muditha Katuwawala, speaking with The Sunday Morning, highlighted that they have come across an alarming number of single-use facemasks alongside the shores during their routine beach clean-ups.
“A significant level of algae growth can be seen in the facemasks that we have picked up from beaches. When these masks are in the sea, fish and larger marine life mistake it to be food. Usually, micro-organisms like algae do not attach themselves to plastic waste; masks, on the other hand, seem to be the opposite. This increases the chances of marine animals consuming them,” Katuwawala shared.
Katuwawala also pointed out that facemasks get entangled in coral reefs, and with time, the sediment deposition may smother coral reefs, hindering regeneration.
Reiterating that the threat is twofold when it comes to birds and other animals, Katuwawala shared: “Birds often mistake facemasks floating in the ocean for fish, and the straps could get entangled around their necks, and feet. While it is important to cut off the straps of the facemasks before you dispose of them, it is even more important that you properly dispose of them.”
Although similar incidents have not been reported in Sri Lanka thus far, he shared that it is indeed a possibility, especially given the number of single-use facemasks that can be found carelessly discarded along the shores across the island.
When marine animals like crustaceans and fish consume single-use masks, just like similar plastic waste, the food chain would be impacted, as there is a chance that these microfibres could ultimately end up on our plates.
Need for newer and better policies
According to Katuwawala, what lacks in Sri Lanka is a mechanism where the clinical waste would be collected from domestic households, and disposed of according to a certain standard.
“The authorities in co-ordination with the Government have set up certain clinical waste management methods in hospitals across the island, where clinical waste is incinerated as per regulated safety standards. While this is done in an incineration facility, the single-use facemasks and other medical waste used in domestic households are disposed of through local government authorities,” observed Katuwawala.
“What is lacking in Sri Lanka is a mechanism where they would collect medical waste from the public, and preferably incinerate them,” Katuwawala said in conclusion.
Concurring with Katuwawala’s views, environmentalist and environmental activist Sajeewa Chamikara stated: “The first thing we must all understand is, even if you snip the straps on either side of the mask, they would eventually go back to the environment itself. If medical waste such as single-use masks end up in a landfill after being discarded appropriately, it wouldn’t help the battle against waste mismanagement at all, as single-use masks contain plastic fibres that do not decay with time.
“Considering how effective the waste management policies of the country are, the chances that these waste materials would end up in water sources such as a river or the ocean is more likely, which is precisely why Sri Lanka needs to come up with a better policy for domestic medical waste management.”
According to Chamikara, an alarming number of single-use facemasks had been detected alongside the banks of the “Seetha Gangula” recently, discarded haphazardly by the pilgrims visiting the Sri Pada Mountain.
According to Chamikara, the authorities should opt for a mechanism similar to the one they already implement when it comes to collecting food waste, plastic waste, and other waste separately.
“There needs to be a separate mechanism where the local authorities would collect masks and other PPE material that have been made for domestic use, just like they do for recyclable garbage, etc.,” he said.
Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Director – Waste Management Unit Ajith Weerasundara said: “The clinical waste from hospitals are put through an incineration process, but single-use facemasks used domestically are considered general waste, which is collected through local authorities, especially urban waste.
“This is exactly why the general public needs to be educated on how to dispose of facemasks properly. Not only does it pose a threat to the water sources, but it has also proven to be lethal to marine and wildlife, as it still contains polycarbonate materials that do not waste away with time,” Weerasundara observed.
According to Weerasundara, a centralised clinical waste treatment facility had been set up in 2014 through a tripartite agreement with the Ministry of Health, the CEA, and Sisili Hanaro Encare (Pvt.) Ltd. to manage clinical waste in the country, under the purview of the CEA.
Although this process only concerns clinical waste disposed of from hospitals, there still isn’t a mechanism to tackle medical waste that is being discarded after domestic use. While the authorities have asked the general public to opt for measures such as burning facemasks after using them, it may not be a practical solution, especially in the long-run.
Photos © Pearl Protectors