400 years is the time it takes for a surgical mask to degrade in nature. For environmental reasons but also common sense, the Ministry of Ecology calls for collective responsibility. More and more single-use masks and gloves are found on the street, on the ground. Some French people who are not very concerned about the ecological issue and the spread of the coronavirus do not bother looking for a trash can to shed their protections, they throw them on the ground. An unfriendly gesture that prompted elected officials to ask for sanctions.
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A fine for people who throw their masks on the public highway
The protections that have been in contact with the skin are likely to transmit the coronavirus, so it must be separated with caution. However, used masks, gloves and handkerchiefs litter the sidewalks and ledges of public garbage cans in many cities. A situation that irritates as much as it worries, since it represents a significant health risk. Eric Pauget, MP for the Alpes-Maritimes, arrested the Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner, asking him for sanctions against people who put their masks on the public highway. Supported by environmental associations, he has tabled a bill in which he asks thata fine of 300 euros be fixed for all those who demonstrate incivility. Elsewhere in France, mayors have chosen to opt for the minutes. 68 euros for polluters, just like a cigarette butt.
The masks thrown in the nature represent an ecological problem
Besides the health risks, the deposit of mask in nature is an ecological problem. In a video posted on Facebook, diver and activist Laurent Lombard denounces the situation in the Mediterranean. "Knowing that more than 2 billion disposable masks have been ordered, soon there may be more masks than jellyfish in Mediterranean waters …! "Uplifting images, filmed off Antibes, on which we can see masks and gloves lining the bottom of the sea.
How about swimming with COVID 19 this summer …? Knowing that more than 2 billion disposable masks have been ordered, soon there will be more masks than jellyfish in Mediterranean waters. It is everyone's responsibility to avoid this new pollution, but also our elected representatives, deputies and public authorities. Indeed for several years some municipalities have been trying to fight against all these incivilities which destroy our environment and our health in the long term, so it might be time to unite all the right initiatives in order to resolve this new pollution as quickly and as firmly as possible The health crisis has allowed us to see the best and the worst in us, if we do nothing it is the worst that will happen when it is simply a matter of common sense to avoid all this. to finish that a disposable mask it is thrown in the trash like all the other waste besides.
It is necessary between 300 and 450 years to a surgical mask to degrade in nature. A hundred years older than an aluminum can and almost as much as a plastic bag. The Ministry of Ecology plans to launch a poster and radio campaign in the coming weeks to raise French awareness of the problem. If, however, it seems logical that in the midst of a global health crisis one should not throw away one's protection anywhere, perhaps additional stickers and signs will be needed to remind those who have forgotten it.
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