Masks potentially contaminated with the novel coronavirus are increasingly being discarded on the street, on beaches, in rivers and at playgrounds.
"I wish people would throw masks away in the garbage can," is a common complaint from volunteers. In addition, many disposable masks are made of non-woven plastic fabric, which has raised concerns about adverse effects of discarded masks on the environment.
On an early August morning, Junichiro Furusawa, 44, a representative from local nonprofit organization Umi Sakura, used garbage tongs to pull a sand-covered mask from Katase beach in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture.
"If I dig here, or if I rummage there, I find masks," he lamented.
Over the past 15 years he has volunteered to clean the beach several times a month. Before the spread of coronavirus infections, he usually found one or two masks per cleaning. But since July the number has skyrocketed to about 20 to 30. Discarded disinfectant wipes have also become a potential threat.
"I'm worried that the virus might be on these items," he said.
A 55-year-old man from a waste disposal company entrusted by the prefectural government to clean up the beach said, "On a busy day, I pick up about 40 [masks]."
To prevent infection, he wears two gloves, one on top of the other, one made of rubber and the other vinyl. He also needs to disinfect the garbage tongs every time before use.
In many cases, masks are thrown away on the street.
Environmental research company Pirika Inc. operates a social media app that allows users to post photos of garbage in need of picking up. The number of mask-related comments received in February was five times higher than the same month the previous year and for March it was seven times higher. Normally, the number of posts decreases after the spring hay fever season ends, but this year the number of posts surged 20 times in June, 66 times in July and 40 times in August.
"In some areas, masks are more common than plastic bottles," said Fujio Kojima, the 33-year-old president of the company. "It's not a normal situation."
Noriyoshi Iga, 65, is president of a company in charge of cleaning up Kasuga River, which flows through the center of Takamatsu. On June 1, 16 masks were found, then 21 on July 6 and 26 on Aug. 3.
"There were almost none found before the coronavirus crisis," he said, trying to contain his anger. "People's manners are becoming worse."
In Tonami, Toyama Prefecture, a signboard prohibiting littering was set up at Tonami Sports Park after masks were found thrown away on the sidewalks and playground equipment.
According to the Environment Ministry and other sources, non-woven fabrics used in many disposable masks and disinfectant wipes are made of plastic fibers and do not dissolve in water or decompose in soil. If they flow into the sea or rivers, they can become microplastic particles that might then be consumed by fish or other animals.
Sadao Harada, an environmental policy expert, associate professor at Osaka University of Commerce and head of a nonprofit organization that cleans up rivers in Kyoto Prefecture, said masks drifting ashore have become a problem in Europe and Hong Kong.
"It is not widely known that non-woven fabrics are plastic, which is one of the reasons for the increase in littering," he said. "Companies and governments should make people more aware of the materials used and how to properly dispose of them."
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