Plastic pollution during COVID-19: Plastic waste directives and its long-term impact on the environment

Abstract

Majority of the million tons of plastic produced each year is being disposed after single-use. Plastic bottle, bags, food containers, gloves, and cup that end up in landfills and environment could linger for hundreds to thousands of years. Moreover, COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), will also exacerbate the global plastic pollution as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE i.e., gloves, masks) became mandatory to prevent the spread of the virus. Plastic eventually breaking down in micro & nanoscopic bits due to physical or chemical or biological actions in the environment, can enter animal and human food web. So, plastic management programs need to be more robust with a focus on the prevention of the micro and nanoplastics entrance into the environment and food web. In the present pandemic situation, it is even more necessary to know about how much plastic waste is being generated and how different countries are coping up with their plastic waste management. In this review, we have elucidated how global plastic production rise during COVID-19 and how it would contribute to short and long-term impacts on the environment. Plastic pollution during the pandemic will increase the GHS emissions in the incineration facilities. Improper disposal of plastics into the oceans and lands would endanger the marine species and subsequently human lives. We have also assessed how the increased plastic pollution will aggravate the micro and nanoscale plastic problem, which have now become an emerging concern. This review will be helpful for people to understand the plastic usage and its subsequent consequences in the environment in a pandemic like COVID-19.

Nghiên cứu mô hình phát hiện rác thải nhựa ven biển sử dụng ảnh máy bay không người lái và mạng nơ-ron tích chập sâu

“…Sự gia tăng đáng kể trong việc sử dụng khẩu trang y tế, găng tay và quần áo bảo hộ, ống tiêm... phục vụ cho công tác phòng chống đại dịch tất cả đều đang góp phần gây ra tình trạng ô nhiễm rác thải nhựa này. Một nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng các sản phẩm y tế có thể gây ra 44,8% và 13,2% sự gia tăng chất thải nhựa do đại dịch hiện nay [15], [16]. Vì lý do này, việc thúc đẩy điều tra, khảo sát đánh giá hiện trạng rác thải nhựa và hoàn thiện chính sách, quy định về quản lý rác thải nhựa; nghiên cứu, ứng dụng công nghệ, triển khai mô hình, hoạt động quản lý rác thải nhựa và sản xuất các sản phẩm thân thiện với môi trường là cấp thiết trong bối cảnh hiện nay.…”

Towards the Sustainability of the Plastic Industry through Biopolymers: Properties and Potential Applications to the Textiles World

“…In order to reduce the cumulative effects, the substitution of petroleum-based plastics with bio-based plastics has also been presented. Data and hypothetical calculations on the amplified amount of plastic waste generated during COVID-19 have been collected in the work of Shams et al [23].…”

Microbial Consortia and Mixed Plastic Waste: Pangenomic Analysis Reveals Potential for Degradation of Multiple Plastic Types via Previously Identified PET Degrading Bacteria

“…Globally, over 380 million metric tons of plastic are produced each year, and 10 million metric tons end up in our oceans annually [ 2 ]. Fifty percent of this material is made for single-use purposes, and the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately created an even greater demand for single-use plastics, which only exacerbated the plastic pollution crisis [ 3 , 4 ]. Continuing at this pace, it is estimated that by 2050, by weight, there will be more plastics in our oceans than fish [ 5 ].…”