Globally, the numbers are shocking. Scientists recently estimated that 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves have been used around the world every month. Unfortunately, most of these items are single-use and — because they are biohazards, among other reasons — cannot be recycled. So while PPE is absolutely critical to tackling the pandemic, we must address the increased strain that they place on our already overburdened waste management systems if we want to avoid aggravating another crisis: ocean plastic pollution. In 2018, volunteers removed nearly 2 million plastic forks, knives and spoons and more than 964,000 plastic grocery bags in a single day.
— source thehill.com | 07/08/20