THEY have become required armour in the battle against coronavirus, but the impact of face masks on the environment is already taking a staggering toll.

How so?

As well as the anecdotal evidence of seeing masks lying around, according to a recent report by conservation group, OceansAsia, the number of single use face masks that are now in the world’s oceans may be as high as 1.5 billion.

The number of masks used is far higher?

According to a report titled "Pandemic Repercussions on the Use and Management of Plastics" earlier this year in the Environmental Science & Technology journal, humans around the world are using and disposing of around 129 billion face masks and 65 billion plastic gloves each month.

Landfill?

Environmental campaigners have warned that 20,000 tonnes of plastic masks could be in UK landfill sites by the spring of 2021. Charlotte Green from TradeWaste said: "6.3 billion face masks is the amount the UK will throw in the bin in just four months – if the rules on mask wearing continue throughout 2021, this could top 19.2 billion.”

Now the focus is on our oceans too?

OceansAsia based its 1.5 billion estimate on 52 billion masks being produced in 2020, with a conservative loss estimate of three per cent and an awareness that plastic masks can take hundreds of years to biodegrade.

Tip of the iceberg?

Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the organisation’s director of research, said: “The 1.56 billion face masks that will likely enter our oceans in 2020 are just the tip of the iceberg. The 4,680 to 6,240 metric tonnes of face masks are just a small fraction of the estimated eight to 12 million metric tonnes of plastic that enter our oceans each year.”

The impact…?

Campaigners say plastic pollution kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals and turtles, over a million seabirds, and even greater numbers of fish, invertebrates and other animals each year. According to OceansAsia, “it also negatively impacts fisheries and the tourism industry, and costs the global economy an estimated $13 billion per year”.

What can be done?

The public are being called on to turn to reusable masks. Dr Phelps Bondaroff added: “We all have a role to play. There are reusable and sustainable options for almost every single single-use plastic item. Please wear a reusable mask, unless absolutely necessary, and be sure to dispose of all masks responsibly.”

Plastic Oceans?

Founded in 2009 to protect the ocean from plastic pollution, Plastic Oceans has launched a new campaign to “make plastic history”, featuring superimposed plastic bags on to images of historical figures such as Shakespeare to illustrate how long such plastic takes to break down, saying: "The idea that we could be using Shakespeare's discarded plastic bag makes the message hit home”.

It’s an “ecological timebomb”?

Plastic Oceans UK say: “Having a lifespan of 450 years, single-use masks are an ecological timebomb.”