Did you know that 91% of the plastic produced has never been recycled? Yet calls to eliminate single-use plastics have been lost in the panic of a new pandemic and the rush to secure personal protective equipment (PPE). And many of these items — including disposable masks, gloves, and antibacterial wipes — are designed for one-time use. Unfortunately, so many people improperly dispose of PPE that we are experiencing a “plastic pandemic” on our streets, public transport, green space, and beaches, according to the Alliance to End Plastic Waste’s Jacob Duer. Improperly discarded PPE is already contributing to plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. Here’s why this is a problem and what you and your community can do to reduce PPE waste.

The Problem: PPE in Our Oceans

Gary Stokes, the founder of marine conservation group OceansAsia, reported collecting 70 masks along 100 yards of beach near Hong Kong during a trip to the uninhabited Soko Islands in February when the pandemic had only just begun. Here’s how they got there: When we don’t throw waste into a secure garbage can, wind can blow it into the gutter where it mixes with rainwater and is washed out to the rivers and sea. From there, it washes to near and far shores. Marine animals like turtles and fish often mistake this waste for food. Ingesting it can lead to a slow and painful death. And plastic waste, like gloves, never fully degrades in water. Instead, it breaks into smaller pieces called microplastics. Plastics are, pun intended, a mixed bag. Today, many consider them a necessary evil: Masks are proven to slow the spread of COVID-19, and when we don’t wear them correctly, more people become sick, hospitals use more resources, and we create more waste. Currently, we use approximately 129 billion face masks every single month.

What We Can Do to Reduce PPE Waste

Due to both material and contamination issues, single-use PPE can’t be recycled in your curbside bin (and check out TerraCycle’s paid option for recycling disposable gloves). That has not translated into high PPE recycling rates, so we must use less of it and dispose of what we use correctly.

Say No to Single-Use

The World Health Organization recommends fabric masks, which are at least equally effective as their short-term counterparts. Their website offers guidance for sewing, caring for, and wearing your fabric mask correctly. To keep yourself and others safe, disinfect and change your reusable mask regularly. Wash your hands frequently, for at least 20 seconds each time, instead of using plastic gloves or hand sanitizer. Hot water and soap are the best way to prevent the spread of infection.

Discard Single-Use PPE Safely

Disposing of PPE improperly puts essential workers and your neighbors at risk of getting infected. Take an extra step to protect them before placing your masks and gloves in a recycling bin. Use a reusable bag that can be sealed to store used PPE while on the go and dispose of it in the bin at home, sealing the bag before pick-up.

Make It Easier to Properly Dispose of PPE

Businesses can use behavioral insights to combat PPE litter and “[make] trash cans convenient and conspicuous by tracing a path to them with green foot-step stickers, or [place] more of them in a given area” where people commonly remove PPE.

Use Educational Messaging

People respond well to motivational messaging and concrete calls-to-action in PPE disposal areas. Research has found that “emphasizing people’s duty to protect frontline workers can be effective.”

Enforce Littering Fines

Municipalities in Massachusetts and New York have imposed hefty fines on PPE littering, yet the threat is not enough to stop bad behavior when fines are not enforced. The best road may be to combine existing fines with educational campaigns to mobilize the public and create a collaborative rather than punishing atmosphere. When it comes to protecting our oceans, we’re all in this together. Feature image courtesy of Brian Yurasits on Unsplash.

 

Which is why I’m beyond excited to share issue No. 15 of my monthly sustainable living series, The Cut with you! Keep reading to discover this month’s beautiful brands with me!

FASHION

Fashion is a large contributor to our landfills and pollution. To help our planet, here are some more great fashion brands you can purchase from and still do good.

JONNE AMAYA

I learned of Jonne Amaya just last week while reading Women’s Wear Daily and what she said in her interview is so profound to me. WWD had asked her: Any advice you have for other emerging brands and how they can incorporate sustainability? And her answer? “At the moment, it’s easier to be an emerging brand and start off with the right values, rather than be a big-name brand and try to change their reputation. Small brands should really dive deep into their process — research different materials that can be used, figure out a way to be impactful from the core, rather than try and make an impact vertically. For example, a lot of big companies that do not monitor their footprint often offer to donate a percentage of sales to ethical or sustainable research/ organizations. It’s counterproductive to do harm on one end, but fool your consumer by offering something good on the other end. Small companies can make big changes, and it’s small companies that hold larger companies accountable.” Overall, it was a great interview that made me think deeper about my actions as a consumer. Why wouldn’t you purchase from a forward thinking (and woman-owned) brand like this?!

JOHNSTONS OF ELGIN

It’s that time of the year for all the layers and cozy clothing. That’s where Johnstons of Elgin comes in. I discovered Johnstons of Elgin while surfing the web this past weekend. I loved learning that they were a sustainable clothing brand from across the pond! As someone who is looking to add more cashmere to her wardrobe (I only have one piece — I know, shame on me), I thought I’d share with you this beautiful, planet-focused company on this month’s The Cut. This brand is definitely on my list to learn more about when it comes to European brands. Their focus on sustainability absolutely blows my mind so I’ll let you click and have a read to see just how many areas they are focusing on as a company. You can purchases her pieces directly on their website or other retailers such as Net-A-Porter.

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INFORMATIVE ARTICLES/SOURCES

To continue to keep you informed and make better choices for our planet, here are some fascinating sources and/or articles I found regarding sustainable living. NORDSTROM WANTS TO END THE WASTE PROBLEM IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY Remember when I wrote about TerraCycle nearly a year ago? Well, they’re now teaming up with Nordstrom to become the solution to the waste problem within the beauty industry! And it just started on October 1st! Customers just need to bring their empties in-store. And if you’re like me, you wouldn’t be able to help yourself and shop while you’re there in-person. Nordstrom then increases foot traffic in stores, begins relationships with possible new customers while increasing sales at the same time? I think it’s absolutely genius! If you’re wondering what you can bring to recycle, you can bring A LOT! I’ve been saving empty bottles and a dry shampoo aerosol can (it’s about a year old?) to recycle and this is perfect timing! Have a read and let me know your thoughts! And that’s it for the eighth issue of The Cut for 2020!

What did you like most from today’s post? Feel free to comment and let me know if there is anything else you’d like to see in this series!

Note: Please note that there’s a website called The Cut that covers a ton of topics for women including fashion and beauty. My blog post series is in no relation to The Cut website as it only focuses on sustainable, more mindful way of living.