The Chinese coronavirus is causing a world wide plastic waste epidemic
Not only masks but also all sorts of hygiene products are causing a major waste crisis.
While the lockdown measures put in place in response to the pandemic are expected to result in an estimated 5% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions this year, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, other measures to contain the virus, such as hygiene practices and quarantine, have spurred the amount of Disposable plastic waste led. An increase in the manufacture of PPE coupled with the temporary casing of recycling facilities and reduced operational capacity have thrown back global efforts to reduce the use of plastics. In China, where the first Covid-19 case was reported, face mask production reached 116 million units per day in late February - up from 20 million units before the outbreak. Meanwhile, global sales of single-use face masks will grow from about $ 800 million in 2019 to $ 166 billion in 2020, according to management consultancy Grand View Research. Disposable face masks are made from polymers such as polypropylene, which has been identified as a significant source of plastic pollution. Before the pandemic, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste ended up in the ocean each year. Marine pollution is particularly pronounced in Southeast Asia, where four of the world's largest ocean polluters live. In Thailand, plastic waste rose from 5,500 tons per day before the pandemic to 6,300 tons per day from mid-May. This 15% increase came despite the introduction of a plastic bag ban earlier in the year. In Bangkok alone, the average amount of plastic waste rose from 2,115 tons per day in 2019 to 3,432 tons per day between January and April. Globally, the spill-over effect of plastic waste - for example on tourism, fishing and maritime transport - could cost an estimated 40 billion dollars, according to the UN Environment Program. Covid-19 has also made it necessary to use delivery services during the resulting blackout periods, which has led to an increase in plastic packaging and disposable tableware. In Southeast Asia e.g. Multi-service apps like the Singapore-based Grab and Indonesian Gojek saw a boom in their food delivery platforms, with the former seeing 400% growth in the week after the lockdown began. Based on a survey published in June by students at the National University of Singapore, it was estimated that households in Singapore generated 1,334 tons of plastic waste from take-away and grocery-delivery packaging during the eight-week lockdown. In general, the accelerated transition to e-commerce is contributing to an increase in packaging volume. According to a 2016 report by the World Economic Forum and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, packaging accounts for 26% of all plastics production, but only 14% of it is recycled. Despite the general economic downturn, e-commerce is forecast to grow nearly 20% this year and the global plastic packaging market is expected to grow from $ 909.2 billion at an average annual growth rate of 5.5% In 2019, it will grow to over $ 1 trillion in 2021, adding to the challenge of overcoming plastic pollution. While single-use plastics are likely to prevail in current circumstances given their perceived benefits, efforts are being made in emerging markets to offer more sustainable alternatives or to improve recycling efforts. In Accra, Ghana, the local authorities started the #WearYourMask campaign in mid-April. As part of this initiative, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, the chief of Accra's city council, plans to hand out 10,000 locally made face masks, 200 of which were made by Trashy Bags, a non-governmental organization that recycles water bottles and ice packs. In Tanzania, Zaidi Recyclers, who processed paper waste before the pandemic, are now making face masks from recycled plastic bottles. Elsewhere, the Thai design company Qualy is transforming unused fishing nets into Covid-19 face shields and disinfectant bottles. Thosaphol Suppaetheekuwat, Qualy's marketing manager, said demand is coming from Europe, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. More than 1.3 tonnes of used nets have been collected since the pilot phase in May, and the plan is to expand the project to all of the country's coastal provinces by the end of the year. Aside from pure recycling to make face masks and bottles, a Thai initiative launched before the pandemic has shown an alternative use of plastic waste.