Do you have your mask?

This problem is everywhere in life. There is no doubt that masks can save lives. However, their disposal has become a common waste management problem throughout South Asia. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, South Asia was already one of the world's largest sources of plastic waste, and is expected to double its total waste generation by 2050. Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are among the 20 countries that produce plastic waste in the world. Most poorly managed plastic waste. The Indus and Ganges are among the 10 most polluted river systems in the world, receiving 90% of the plastic waste in the region. 

A research report just published by the World Bank "Impact of COVID-19 on Plastic Waste Management in South Asia" explored the impact of plastic use and disposal, and found that lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic will exacerbate the already serious plastic waste challenge. Unless urgent action is taken. 

Our Epidemic Lifestyle: The New Normal

First, personal protective equipment or PPE has become a necessary condition to minimize the spread of infection. It is estimated that 87% of excess plastic waste comes from hospitals rather than personal use. However, without a sound solid waste management system, South Asian countries cannot adequately manage waste in hospitals and other clinical environments. 

For example, there are approximately 129 billion disposable masks used every month in the world. This is about 3 million times per minute and 50,000 times per second! These masks made of plastic microfibers account for only a small part of the large amount of pandemic-related plastic waste generated. It is estimated that 1.56 billion masks eventually flow into the ocean in a year. This is equivalent to another 4,600 to 6,200 metric tons of marine plastic waste. This is roughly equivalent to 62 blue whales-the largest animal on the planet, 100 feet long and weighing about 180,000 kilograms.

The impact of COVID-19 on plastic waste management in South Asia also emphasizes:

Concerted action is needed to reduce the leakage of plastic waste into the environment, and several solutions can be integrated into the pandemic recovery plan:

There is no panacea to solve the problem of plastic pollution in the rivers and oceans of South Asia. Intervention is required at every stage of the plastic life cycle: from production and preventing plastic leakage to investment in solid waste management, to the transition to a plastic circular economy approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated plastic management issues throughout Asia. The World Bank is committed to helping South Asian countries reduce plastic pollution for billions of people whose livelihoods depend on healthy rivers and oceans.​​​ Now is the time to promote new policies, investments, and innovations so that South Asian countries can recover from the pandemic to be greener and more resilient.

This work is part of the World Bank’s South Asia Marine Plastic Pollution Program, which aims to promote circular plastic economic solutions, advance national-level policy and investment dialogue, and raise awareness of the harmful effects of marine plastic pollution on people’s lives and livelihoods It supports the World Bank’s commitment to work with South Asian countries, civil society partners, and the private sector to bring innovative and sustainable solutions to plastic waste reduction and management throughout the region.  

Environment, Natural Resources and the Blue Economy, World Bank

Development banker, economist and serial social entrepreneur trained by Harvard, Oxford and London School of Economics

This website uses cookies to optimize features and provide you with the best experience. If you continue to browse this website outside of this page, cookies will be placed in your browser. To learn more about cookies, click here.