On the one hand, the health crisis has allowed us to see the best of humanity, this feeling of camaraderie and resilience, but on the other hand, this pandemic has had a huge impact on the environment. If we ask you, we are sure that you have already seen either a mask or a wipe thrown on the ground in the street (even if there is a 68 ball fine), it's over!
But how do you throw them away? First, you have to put them in a bag that you have dedicated to this type of waste, and once you are ready to throw it away, you have to close it and wait a day to finally put your little covid garbage bag in your household waste bin (not in your sorting bin). Yes, your masks will be transformed into energy in the incineration plant!
Less is more
This does not mean that we should use as many masks as possible. A disposable mask can stay in our environment for about 450 years, that is, twice as long as Jonathan, the oldest turtle in the world, has been alive! By misclassifying them or throwing them anywhere, our masks can end up in our seas, the rest of the story you already know, there could be more masks than jellyfish in the ocean.
“A disposable mask has a lifespan of around 450 years”
If we all use reusable masks, the amount of masks thrown away would decrease by 95 %, and we would have a climate impact 10 times less severe. The fabric mask is then one of the best alternatives we have (and we can choose the design we want, cool, right?). But be careful! We said that our impact could decrease, not disappear. You still have to wash your mask, and plan more than one if you will be outside all day!
In this infographic, we present you with information that you can take into account when choosing your future mask:

If you want to know why we shouldn't tear up our exes' letters, you can read our paper recycling blog, and follow us on our social networks!