Since their use is recommended or even mandatory in some cases, more and more masks are found in the environment. A form of incivility which not only exposes the agents of the cleanliness service of the cities to the virus, but which constitutes a significant form of pollution.
- More and more masks are found thrown on the public highway
- This represents a risk of contamination for cleaners and a danger to the environment.
- An MP has tabled a bill to impose fines on those who throw their masks anywhere
With the Covid-19 health crisis, a new form of waste is gradually appearing: protective masks. If they began to litter the ground during confinement, they now pollute many French cities. Faced with this phenomenon, some elected officials are taking action. In the Alpes-Maritimes, the deputy (Les Républicains) of the 7and constituency, Éric Pauget, tabled a bill on May 18. He presents three major axes, including a fine of 300 euros.
The agents of the cleaning service confronted with the incivility of some
Already on May 15, the Ministry of Ecology took up the subject on Twitter. “Many of us see used masks thrown on the ground. However, it is simple to avoid this pollution by respecting the instructions”can we read in the caption accompanying a short video. It is thus recalled that this waste must be disposed of in a “dedicated and resistant garbage bag with a functional closing system”. “When the bag is full, it must be carefully closed and then kept for 24 hours”, is also indicated. Once this period has passed, the bag must be thrown in the household waste.
Cities are also mobilizing, like Maisons-Alfort, in Ile-de-France. At the end of March, the town hall had published an article entitled: “Coronavirus: please do not throw used masks, tissues and gloves anywhere” on his site. She deplored in particular that the agents of the city’s cleanliness department are obliged to pick up this waste on a daily basis, “at the risk of being contaminated by the Covid-19 virus themselves”.
A mask can end up “in just a few hours in the marine environment”
Another problem is the length of time it takes for the masks to break down. If the 450-year period is widely taken up in the media and on social networks, it would still take less time for this waste to disappear. “I doubt it will take more than a few yearsbelieves François Galgani, oceanographer at Ifremer, interviewed by LCI. It should be noted that no one has precise data because there are no tests carried out on these masks..
Nevertheless, as the specialist points out, the decomposition time of the masks is comparable to that of other plastics, equivalent to “several years”. According to him, this waste will “break down into fibers”. As our colleagues report, they will not necessarily be visible over time, but will constitute a non-negligible pollution which will be added to that caused by other objects thrown into the environment. The seas and oceans should suffer. “Depending on where it is thrown”a mask can be found “in just a few hours in the marine environment”warns François Galgani.
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