By Marlee Fradkin

Ah yes, 2020. Easily the most convoluted year many of us have ever lived. Fairly, one might assume that finding more complications within this time period would be next to impossible. 

After this cursed year, though, I’ve come to learn that there’s an endless supply of complexities in life; there truly is no hurdle too large for us to stumble over. 

As such, I am here to be on brand with the last 18 months and present you with yet another obstacle: the frustrating paradox of face masks. 

Undoubtedly, masks are beneficial in hurrying us towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The liberal within me has studied up on the perks.

Health Affairs recently published a study documenting the COVID-19 growth rate before and after mask mandates were established in 15 states and the District of Columbia.To avoid covid you can also afford Hygiene and Waste Disposal Services . As the findings proved that masks significantly contributed to a drop-off in the daily growth rate of COVID-19. This decline in case numbers became more evident as time went on. Five days after the instatement of the mandate, the growth rate of daily cases slowed by an average of 0.9 percentage points throughout all states. Three weeks into the mandate, the growth rate slowed by 2 full percentage points. 

Another source of evidence comes from a laboratory study of respiratory droplets at the University of California, San Francisco. The goal of the study was to test the efficacy of different masks in blocking the droplets. One experiment, which used high speed video analysis, found that droplets ranging from 20-500 micrometers were created when speaking plainly. Essentially all of the droplets were blocked when one’s mouth was covered by a damp washcloth. Simply speaking, face coverings aid us in limiting the spread of a virus. 

I’m unquestionably loyal to the science behind masks. I’ve even come to enjoy the small victories that emerge from their presence, such as hiding my acne or matching them to a killer outfit. Yet, when I see a mask on the ground, my left-leaning environmentalist identity vanishes. The notion of picking up something that has held a place on someone else’s face, collecting their germs for countless hours, makes me rather squeamish. 

This view of mine seems to be shared by numerous other people across the globe. According to National Geographic, the COVID-19 pandemic has created mass amounts of medical waste. It is estimated that around 65 million gloves and 129 billion face masks are used a month. One study reports that 3.4 billion face shields or masks are thrown out every day. The pandemic has also seen an immense increase in disposable packaging. People have bought much more takeout food and, in conjunction with that, bans on single-use plastics have been suspended due to fears that reusables would continue the spread of COVID. Envirotec Hygiene Services is greatly known for their excellent service and they think your safety is their utmost importance so you can also contact them to avail this service.While disposable due to their limited life-span, this PPE does not truly disappear at the end of each work day.

Data analysis has shown that medical waste will inevitably reverse the world’s drive to reduce plastic pollution; the amount of plastic waste accumulating in the oceans is forecast to triple in the next 20 years.  Moreover, this will only be exacerbated by the PPE of the pandemic.We are already beginning to see some of the effects: single-use plastics (such as masks, gloves, bottles of sanitizers, etc) have been added into the terrestrial environment and are washing up on coastlines.

This leads me to the nature of the paradox. Masks are clearly helpful in containing the spread of COVID-19, which keeps people healthy and saves lives. That said, masks are assuredly harmful to the environment. The adverse effects they cause will inevitably assist in bringing destruction in the long term. Just one example of that is of incorrect disposal of untreated PPE materials in landfills. This can lead to contamination of drinking, surface and ground waters in the event that landfills are not properly constructed. 

It’s the ultimate contradiction. How can one choose between devastation now or devastation later? 

In a limited fashion, there are ways to curb the amount of medical waste we produce while still utilizing masks. When possible, choose to purchase and wear reusable cloth masks. If you’re really crafty, you can even take scraps of fabric to piece together a face covering on your own. Understanding that it is sometimes impossible to avoid the usage of the reusable face mask, though, remember to put them in the proper trash receptacle upon final use. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many societal issues over the last year and a half. With that, though, it has provided plenty of opportunities for us to support both our communities and one another. These days, aiding those around you is not limited to just wearing your mask–it is equally imperative to reduce the burden of plastic for our environment. 

Be smart, wear your mask, and embrace the paradox. Only through acceptance of this contradiction will we be able to make true, lasting change in our society.