Face masks are an object that has existed since the 1920s, used primarily by those in medical professions. As we all know the use of surgical and Kn95 masks has exploded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Covid the disposable market has exploded to a 38.9 billion dollar business in 2021. With it everyone is using them and have since entered the public mind as a common disposable item along with wrappers, paper, packaging, etc. Face masks are mostly made of cotton and polymers (which contain plastic). Both of these materials we are very used to throwing away. Globally a total of 129 billion are used every month and 3.4 billion are thrown away daily. A large part of the reason why we think of them as disposable is because that is what we have been told, to only use them a certain amount of times and they lose their effectiveness. In our minds masks are associated with protecting ourselves and others from COVID, it’s quite different from many other disposable products in the way it’s about a public health concern rather than convenience. In reality these masks went from having an association with medical professionals to being a symbol of one of the worst pandemics in history and one of the most important events of the 21st century. The connection is instant between the two. It is now a very common occurrence for people to see face masks littering parking lots as a plastic bag or plastic water bottle would. At Hampshire I would say I see them more often than any other type of waste littered. They are now sharing the same fate as many other waste items, they are being found in the ocean and are contributing to micro-plastic pollution. I doubt the widespread use of masks will be going down in coming years, due to the issue of COVID, but also because of how effective they’ve proven to be against airborne disease.
