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Increased personal protective equipment litter as a result of COVID-19 measures

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Listed:
  • Keiron P. Roberts

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • Sui C. Phang

    (University of Portsmouth
    The Nature Conservancy)

  • John B. Williams

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • David J. Hutchinson

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • Simon E. Kolstoe

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • Jasper Bie

    (Griffith University)

  • Ian D. Williams

    (University of Southampton)

  • Anne M. Stringfellow

    (University of Southampton)

Abstract

Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce virus transmission. Here, we quantitatively analyse emergence of PPE and COVID-19-related litter over 14 months for 11 countries using the litter collection application Litterati. The proportion of masks in litter increased by >80-fold as a result of COVID-19 legislation, from 0.8%. Gloves and wipes, more prevalent at ~0.2% of litter before the pandemic, doubled to 0.4%, but this has since fallen. Glove litter increased in the initial stages of the pandemic but fell after the introduction of facemask policies, whereupon there was an increase of facemask litter. National COVID-19 policy responses and international World Health Organization announcements and recommendations are a probable driver of PPE litter dynamics, especially the implementation of facemask policies. Waste management should be incorporated in designing future pandemic policies to avoid negative environmental legacies of mismanaged PPE.

Suggested Citation

  • Keiron P. Roberts & Sui C. Phang & John B. Williams & David J. Hutchinson & Simon E. Kolstoe & Jasper Bie & Ian D. Williams & Anne M. Stringfellow, 2022. "Increased personal protective equipment litter as a result of COVID-19 measures," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 5(3), pages 272-279, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:5:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1038_s41893-021-00824-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-021-00824-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ruggero Rangoni & Wander Jager, 2017. "Social Dynamics of Littering and Adaptive Cleaning Strategies Explored Using Agent-Based Modelling," Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, vol. 20(2), pages 1-1.
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