Face mask litter surged 9,000% due to Covid-19

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and mask mandates rolled out by governments worldwide have caused an “exponential increase” in face mask pollution, comprehensive research based on data collected in 11 countries suggests.

The damning study by a team of researchers with the University of Portsmouth was published in the Nature Sustainability journal on Thursday.

The group conducted a comprehensive study of personal protective equipment (PPE), observing an “exponential increase” in such litter amid anti-coronavirus measures. Their findings are based on data collected across 11 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US, using a litter collection application Litterati.

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