Litter pickers see huge increase in used face masks dropped all around Milton Keynes

MK based TradeWaste.co.uk say their litter pickers have noticed a "huge increase" in the number of dumped masks on pavements and beauty spots around the city.

They estimate the number of single use masks in Milton Keynes is almost 200,000 per day - and hundreds are being carelessly dumped or dropped.

And the answer, they say, is to switch to washable reusable masks - which could save almost £200 per year per person.

“The scale of the problem of carelessly dumped disposable face masks is massive," said Tradewaste.co.uk spokesman Charlotte Green. "The residents of Milton Keynes use 190,578 single use plastic masks a day and sadly some of these are being dropped, or simply fall from people’s pockets. Sightings are increasingly common now”,.

She said the problem of how to dispose of masks was "tricky", with no easy way to recycle and conflicting ways to handle potentially contaminated masks. But the real problem is the littering caused by careless users.

Throughout the UK, 1.6 billion disposable masks a month are used. This is 19.5 billion a year - a weight equivalent to five and a half Eiffel Towers.

A proportion of these masks are discarded either carelessly or accidentally, meaning many end up being blown into woods making their journey into streams, rivers and eventually the sea, said Charlotte.

"Litter pickers across the country are reporting an increasing number of masks being collected during their rounds. Generally, litter picking groups are finding 1 mask for every 60m they patrol, especially near shops," she added.

“Used masks are tricky and you should not touch a used mask – they should be treated like any other potentially contaminated material and only handled professionally using the right protecting equipment. There are obvious risks associated with coming into contact with a used mask."

The way to tackle the problem is for everyone to move towards washable reusable masks, she said.

"Not only will this cut down on single use mask litter, but it also reduces the environmental impacts of manufacturing 19.5 billion plastic masks in the first place. As a country we have worked so hard to reduce plastic consumption, yet we are sleepwalking into another nightmare."

The waste company has calculated that ditching your disposable face mask in 2021 would save £190.

"A single use disposable face mask costs 18p. Over a year using three per day this is £197.10. A washable face mask costs £1.40 (a pack of five is £6.99) If you can use five masks by washing them, then over a year this is a saving of £190.11," said Charlotte.