The project in Newquay reusing mask waste found on Cornish beaches
A study has found disposable mask waste has increased by 9000%
A project in Newquay is aiming to reduce PPE pollution by creating litter pickers to stop face covering waste found across the Duchy.
A recent study has found that two million masks were littered across 11 countries last year.
The study in the Nature Sustainability Journal reported a 9,000 percent increase in face mask litter with researchers saying that plastic pollution from the pandemic could last for hundreds of years.
Harry, marine scientist at Waterhaul in Newquay, said: "Face masks have delivered some incredible health protection for us during the pandemic and have given great benefits, but on the environment there is a huge impact and that's from the plastic that's been generated through this PPE.
"Obviously health comes first but there are all these solutions out there. Sustainable reusable facemasks mean you're not contributing to all of those face masks that are being used once and then are being disposed of every single day".
Their project are aiming to reduce growing figure in Cornwall by recycling used PPE and finding other solutions to wearing single-use masks.
They worked with the Royal Cornwall hospital to collect and sterilise mask waste and provide schools across the county with reused litter pickers.
They hope encouraging people to go and pick up rubbish on beaches and other outdoor areas will help the growing issue.
Harry continued: "In the UK at the height of the pandemic we were producing and using 58 million facemasks every single day. We noticed facemasks were becoming the number one littered item that we were finding on our beaches, greenspaces and around town, you really couldn't go anywhere without seeing one.
"The young people are leading the charge on tackling this new waste which is really inspiring to see".
Researchers from the latest study on face mask pollution are urging the government to prevent an "environmental disaster".
Harry told us: "With the reintroduction of mask wearing we're really worried that we'll see a return of face masks being littered and in our oceans.
"Everyone plays a part in this, we all encounter these masks, we're all seeing them, wearing them. Simple things like disposing properly of your masks, there's now recycling points at supermarkets, or simply swapping to a reusable mask then you're not generating that waste and participating in that single use waste stream".