The Dutch are throwing more and more masks on the street. The masks have been among the litter since the beginning of the corona crisis, but the numbers will only increase in the near future. This is what Helene van Zutphen, director of Nederland Schoon, the foundation that works nationally against litter, says in conversation with NU.nl.
Volunteers from Supporters van Schoon have been encountering corona-related litter in the Netherlands since the COVID-19 outbreak. At the beginning, they mainly found gloves, but since the commencement of the mandatory masks in public transport on 1 June, masks started to take the upper hand among the street waste.
After the cabinet issued an urgent advice for masks in public interior spaces last month, the number of disposable masks on the street has “increased enormously”, according to Van Zutphen. She fears that the inconvenience will only increase as soon as the cabinet introduces a mandatory mask. “In that respect, litter is a reflection of society,” she says.
The masks are mainly on the doorstep of shops and supermarkets, according to the Nederland Schoon director. The problem appears to be greater in cities than in villages. According to Van Zutphen, this is because there are more shops there, but also because people “feel more anonymous and are more inclined to throw something on the street”.
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A number of examples of face masks that the volunteers encountered on the street in the past period. (Photo: Nederland Schoon)
Face masks in the street evoke irritation: ‘It has something dirty’
The biggest problem with mouth masks lying around is the damage the protective equipment causes to nature. The disposable version is partly made of polypropylene, an almost unbreakable plastic.
“But it is also a piece of litter that causes irritation in people,” says Van Zutphen. “It is slightly dirty. It is different from, say, a receipt on the street.”
To raise awareness of this litter problem, Nederland Schoon and the Plastic Soup Foundation are launching a national campaign on Tuesday. With the slogan “Don’t make your mouth mask a stray cap”, all Dutch people are called on to throw mouth masks away with the residual waste in the trash.
The organizations also advise to use reusable masks. “That is the best solution”, says Van Zutphen.
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