ArticleThe Science of the total environment2022
Assessing face mask littering in urban environments and policy implications: The case of Bangkok.
Article in The Science of the total environment, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Face mask littering: environmental impacts, regulatory challenges, and AI-driven waste management strategies for the postpandemic era.Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2026Review
- Identifying the determinants of face mask disposal behavior and policy implications: An application of the extended theory of planned behavior.Resources, conservation & recycling advances · 2023Article
- Current knowledge on the presence, biodegradation, and toxicity of discarded face masks in the environment.Journal of environmental chemical engineering · 2023Review
- Density variability of COVID-19 face mask litter: A cautionary tale for pandemic PPE waste monitoring.Journal of hazardous materials advances · 2023Article
- A review of disposable facemasks during the COVID-19 pandemic: A focus on microplastics release.Chemosphere · 2023Review
- Unraveling the potential human health risks from used disposable face mask-derived micro/nanoplastics during the COVID-19 pandemic scenario: A critical review.Environment international · 2022Review
- Effective recycling of disposable medical face masks for sustainable green concrete via a new fiber hybridization technique.Construction and building materials · 2022Article
- Effects of Discarded Masks on the Offshore Microorganisms during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Toxics · 2022Article
- Waste management, COVID-19 and occupational safety and health: Challenges, insights and evidence.The Science of the total environment · 2022Article
- Assessing face masks in the environment by means of the DPSIR framework.The Science of the total environment · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Face mask usage is one of the preventive measures encouraged worldwide to limit the transmission of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic. Hence, production and mass use of face masks is on the rise due to the pandemic as well as government rules that mandate citizens to wear face masks. However, the improper disposal of face masks has been polluting the environment with enormous hazardous waste. In this study, a face mask littering assessment in an urbanized environment, Bangkok, was carried out. Three streets in the city were selected and observed for face mask littering for 5 h per day for 42 days. Moreover, a questionnaire from 605 participants was recorded to determine mask handling and disposal practices. The study found a total of 170 single-use face masks within a 13.30 km path. Furthermore, the highest (40) and lowest (17) cumulative litter were recorded on Sunday and Monday, respectively. Buffer analysis at 300 m showed 47% of mask litter was found within five mass transit stations, while 15% are within a single street market. Of 605 respondents, 82.15% used a single-use face mask. Surprisingly, most of them (70.58%) disposed of used face masks in regular bins along with their household waste. The results highlight three policy implications to tackle the growing problem: raising awareness, regulation, and provision of bins designed for used face masks in strategic places and supporting innovations and research for eco-friendly face masks.
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