Pandemic Environmentalism: Ways to Protect the Earth in 2021

 By Dahlia Matanky-

The Coronavirus Pandemic has presented new challenges to every aspect of our lives, including serious environmental concerns. Although Ida Crown takes efforts to be environmentally conscious, such as introducing timed lights into the classrooms, there are always ways for our community to improve.

Single-use masks, gloves, and bottles of sanitizer shielding us from the spread of COVID-19 are ending up on the streets, in the seas, and among wildlife. Our discarded waste is now strewn across parks, sidewalks, and roads, as people try to protect themselves and others from infection.

While it's understandable that sustainability practices backtrack in a crisis, said Richard Thompson, professor and director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth, tackling the plastic waste crisis means not losing sight of the whole life cycle of a product — from design until end of life. Of course, disease and human life take precedence, but we must not forget the long term dangerous effects of our environmental footprint. 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, medical waste generation alone has increased globally, a major threat to public health and the environment. For instance, Wuhan in China produced more than 240 metric tons of medical wastes every day during the time of the outbreak (Saadat et al., 2020), which is almost 190 m tonnes higher than the waste pre-Pandemic (Zambrano-Monserrate et al., 2020).

Every month that the planet faces the coronavirus, an estimated 200 billion disposable face masks and plastic gloves are being disposed of and entering the environment (ACS Publications Environmental Science and Technology Journal). Not only can these synthetic PPE items hurt animals by entangling them, but they can also hurt and even kill animals who accidentally ingest them. 

The WHO, and the CDC, as well as many physicians all agree that for everyday errands, wearing disposable plastic gloves is unnecessary during the COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, using hand sanitizer while out, avoiding touching your face, and then washing hands with soap and water when you get home is the most effective way to prevent contracting the virus from your hands. 

Similarly, the WHO recommends that people wear reusable cloth face masks when going out in public — not surgical masks. Cloth masks can be cleaned and used over and over again, reducing the need (and disposal rate) of single-use masks.

Although the Pandemic will eventually end, our waste will prove detrimental long term. There are steps we as a community can take in order to benefit the future of our planet. Wear a reusable mask rather than a single-use one, washing it regularly will provide the same protection. If you are to use a single-use mask, ensure that you cut the strings to prevent dangerous effects on wildlife. Wash your hands regularly rather than wearing gloves, and refill your hand sanitizer bottles rather than discarding them. Our supplies for this Pandemic may seem disposable, but our planet is not. Do your part to protect your community, both during and after the Pandemic.