COVID-19 and Waste

July is the month of Plastic Free July. This year this is particularly challenging. With Covid-19  rampant all across the world, multiple cafes, restaurants, hotels have ditched their efforts to reduce single use items in the interest of public safety. It's been years since I ditched disposable coffee cups and only stuck to my sturdy Keep Cups. But the COVID-19 situation left me no choice but to accept disposable coffee cups at least a few times. I felt weighed down by guilt. But my coffee addiction emerged stronger! Luckily I discovered at least one local coffee shop which let me use my Keep Cup as they considered it a low risk. I always ensure to wash my Keep Cup well before taking it to the cafe and washing it well again after use. The Australian Government never released any mandate on solely using disposable items. It was upon the business owner's discretion. I understand the pressures on small businesses to keep their business risk-free and take all possible precautions, which is why many refused reusable takeaway cups. But the fact of the matter is, there is currently a lack of evidence on whether disposable cups or cutlery are any safer than reusable ones. In my opinion the climate crisis was and will always be a bigger crisis than this pandemic. Hence we should keep using reusable items where we are allowed to. If all else fails and your local cafe only lets you take disposable coffee cups, you can always choose to refuse the coffee lid as they are catastrophic for the environment. A coffee cup lid takes 400 years to decompose! 

The next tragedy is of course, face masks. Let me just make it clear at the onset that I absolutely do not disagree with the science of how face masks prevent the spread of Coronavirus and how they are an essential component in fighting this disease. Nevertheless it makes me shudder thinking about millions of disposable face masks just going to landfill. Even in Australia, I saw them littered across the road. I wish there was more awareness about how much waste this is causing. The majority of people are choosing disposable ones for the convenience of it and possibly also because they consider them safer. Even WHO has advocated for reusable masks such as fabric masks as they can easily be washed and prevent the spread of coronavirus. Using reusable masks also helps prevent shortages of surgical masks such as N95 masks, which need to be reserved for healthcare workers. Just last week the Victorian Government made masks mandatory in Melbourne. It is the first time any state in Australia has made masks mandatory since the pandemic began. There were lines of people outside pharmacies ready to purchase their disposable face masks. A slightly better sight was lines of people outside the Spotlight store ready to purchase materials to make their own reusable face masks.  Nevertheless an even better option would be to make your own facemaks at home using old materials you already have.

If DIY projects aren’t your forté, a quick internet search helped me find a list of sites that are selling sustainable masks in Australia. Similar retailers are present in other countries so when investing in a mask please think about the lifecycle of the product and do a little research before making the purchase. Choosing a reusable mask will also save you money. Target is selling a 12 pack of disposable masks for $10, which is a bit rich if you ask me!

This pandemic isn’t going anywhere, any time soon. We don’t want to be in a situation where once this crisis passes we have another waste crisis at our hands to deal with. When disaster strikes, human tendency is to just focus on short term outcomes that help us overcome the immediate hurdle. We can’t let our guard down when it comes to the environment crisis as that is and will always be the biggest battle our generation has to face.

Image courtesy: Flash Forward Pod