Curious to know what happens to the masks we use and discard? Those one-time use plastic precautionary gear acts as a major pollutant in the already polluted environment.
Obeying the Covid-19 laws of wearing such gears is respected, but the fact that these may prove to be harmful to nature around after incorrect disposal is what we overlook at.
Alas! Small animals and birds, on land and in the ocean, get entangled, in the elastic bands of the discarded masks.
These creatures have trouble dealing with the literal invasion of these alien objects around them. They either encounter them washed up on the shores or thrown in open places or lying on the trash heaps.
For birds, the band gets stuck to their feet, or they get their wings trapped in those or the bands get hooked on their beaks, making them struggle to survive.
A Seagull’s feet were tangled in the ear-loops of the mask in UK. His legs were all swollen, making him unable to walk and he was screaming in pain.
It’s awful when it comes to the water creatures. They tend to swim into the alien and get caught which results in suffocation.
An image of a fish choked to death because of being trapped in a discarded face mask sends shivers down our spines.
But, what if we can save lives of these voiceless organism?
How?
– Detach the elastic strings from the mask.
Or
– Cut them into 2 from the centre
Why?
– Once you cut the strings, the possibility of getting entwined in them would be reduced to almost zero.
And
– Cutting them into two wouldn’t trap the creatures.
Most Importantly, Discard The Masks and the Gloves in a Closed Bin so that they do not come in contact with the beings that do not know that the product is.
Let us be responsible humans of the society towards nature while discarding protective gear.
Our safety should not put innocent lives at stake.
We should encourage the usage of reusable and washable masks over one-time-use masks.
