What happens to the disposable fask masks you throw out?

With decisions on the country’s mask rules being made on Monday, a new free recycling initiative has launched nationwide to help prevent thousands of discarded used face masks from entering the marine environment and landfill.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to announce any changes to mask-wearing rules and the traffic light framework on Monday afternoon. There were 981 new Covid infections on Sunday – the first time cases dipped below 1000 in since February.

With changes to mask mandates pending, a new initiative, designed to prevent PPE from entering the waste stream and marine environment, had launched to help address barriers to the recycling of used face masks.

With an estimated three million face masks used globally each minute, the initiative was believed to be the first end-of-life recycling programme for masks in New Zealand.

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The majority of disposable face masks used in NZ are made from polypropylene, a form of plastic known as #5 in the recycling scheme.

The not-for-profit programme launched by the country’s largest facemask exporter, MEO, would address a number of logistical and cost barriers faced by consumers and corporates in the collection and disposal of used face masks.

Households and businesses could request a free postage-paid courier bag to collect their masks and send them to an Auckland facility where they will be quarantined before being manually sorted into recycling categories.

They will then be recycled into BioGro certified fence posts for the domestic and export markets, while fabric masks which use natural filters made from wool and other cloth materials will be dissembled to support composting of their components in a separate programme.

Kenneth Leong, MEO co-founder, said while the technology existed to recycle masks, most ended up in landfill or in the environment where they could break down into smaller particles or microplastics.

He said the new programme would cost the company about $50,000 annually and would recycle any kind of any mask, regardless of its manufacturing source or where it was purchased from.

“What we know is that since the onset of the pandemic disposable PPE has rapidly contributed to a growing environmental issue.

“While the initial focus has been on protecting the health of our population, we need also to find long-term ways to prevent microplastics from impacting the health of our planet.

“The new programme we are launching will make it easier to collect and recycle these products by providing a free collection service for this form of waste,” he said.

Leong said while the first stage of the initiative would support the door-to-door collection of used masks, the business hoped to expand the programme to include physical collection points.

“If we look at the soft plastic recycling collection model in supermarkets, we know that many consumers have integrated their recycling into their shopping routine.

“We are currently looking for national retail partners with a brick-and-mortar presence who can help us expand the programme to meet the needs of this segment of the market.