It seemed that Covid-19 might be a blessing in disguise for the environment — international lockdowns resulted in cleaner air and less pollution — but now, as the months stretch on, it’s clear that the coronavirus is damaging our planet.
Pollution has increased, from disposable face masks to plastic and packaging products, our shorelines and oceans have become littered with our medical, plastic waste. With a lifespan of 450 years, these masks are an ecological timebomb. From Hong Kong to Côte d’Azur, divers are giving evidence of “Covid waste” – dozens of gloves, masks and bottles of hand sanitiser almost ‘as numerous as the jellyfish’. A recent study in the Environment, Science & Technology journal estimates that 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves are being used each month!
While early 2020 saw a progressive movement towards the banning of single use plastics, some industries have seized the opportunity brought on by Covid to repeal disposable bag bans and have switched back to single-use plastics and packaging. With the increase in social distancing and related increase in food and product deliveries, packaging waste is now an even larger threat.
In the United States, aggressive regulatory rollbacks by Trump’s Administration have essentially stopped the enforcement of air and water pollution regulations and suspended a requirement for environmental review allowing for unprecedented damage to our planet. In Brazil, illegal loggers have accelerated their destruction of the Amazon rainforest. According to satellite data 64% more land was cleared in April 2020 than in April 2019, even though 2019 was the worst year of deforestation in over a decade.
Since we at Maxim Hygiene are always trying to reduce our environmental impact and protect the planet, we came up with five ways to help ensure you minimize your negative impact on our planet during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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1. Use cloth masks as a second layer to cover your surgical masks. This helps ensure that your surgical mask will last longer and can be used more than just once. Make sure you wash cloth masks for multiple uses to ensure safety or consider a UV-light device that works to kill bacteria and viruses from any surface.
2. Cut the ear loops of the masks you dispose of, so as not to harm wildlife. Closed ear loops on masks have been found around the necks of animals in forests and oceans — even if they do not choke, animals can become malnourished as the materials fill up their stomachs but provide no nutrients since some can’t distinguish between food and waste.
3. Don’t use plastic utensils with takeaway or delivery orders. From straws to utensils, bottles and bags, plastic has made a resurgence. Give your restaurant specific instructions against delivering your order with a side of plastic — you can always request a paper bag and choose to use your own silverware, a much more environmentally friendly option.
4. Try to reUSE all the plastic containers your food comes in. If you wash your containers in hot water straight away, you limit the risk of them being a contaminant, and can use them as tupperware / storage alternatives for your kitchen!
5. Consider switching to non-plastic products like our Cardboard or Non-Applicator tampons — most conventional tampons are already more than 90% plastic, why increase the amount of plastic going in and out of your body? Our tampons come in two environmentally friendly options — cardboard applicators and no applicators at all! It might feel a little weird at first, but given the durability and lifetime of plastic products, you might feel better knowing you’re not adding to landfill waste.