The pandemic creates 25,900 tons of waste for the oceans

A newly published study shows that 25,900 tons of plastic waste from the Covid-19 pandemic - the equivalent of more than 2,000 double-decker buses - has been dumped into the oceans.

In the journal PNAS of the US National Academy of Sciences, a study published on November 8 said: ' The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the demand for single-use plastics, putting additional pressure on the The problem of plastic waste is already out of control globally , ' according to the Guardian.

Two authors Yiming Peng and Peipei Wu (Nanjing University, China) emphasized that with the inappropriate management process, the amount of plastic waste (including medical protective equipment, masks and gloves) has exceeded beyond the capacity of countries to handle.

Since the pandemic began, 193 countries and territories have generated about 8.4 million tons of plastic waste, the authors said.

'Plastic waste, which easily drifts in a large range in the oceans, has the potential to injure or even kill marine life ,' the team asserted.

Since the start of the pandemic, 193 countries and territories have generated about 8.4 million tons of plastic waste. (Photo: Alamy).

Research shows that 46% of plastic waste comes from Asia (due to the use of masks by residents), followed by Europe (24%), Americas (22%) and Africa (8%). ).

According to scientists, most of the plastic waste from the pandemic will end up on beaches or sink to the ocean floor by the end of the century.

The two authors Peng and Wu reported that 87.4% of the discharge was from hospitals , instead of the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) - which only accounted for 7.6%. Packaging and test kits account for about 5%.

Until August, thousands of tons of masks, gloves and test kits followed the flow of 369 major rivers into the oceans. Of which, the Shatt al-Arab River carries 5,200 tons of PPE waste, the Indus River carries 4,000 tons, and the Yangtze River (China) is 3,700 tons.

'The aforementioned findings highlight rivers and some watersheds that need special attention in the management of plastic waste ,' the team said.