Coronavirus: EPA hints on setting up collection point for safe disposal of nose masks

Buoyed by reports that about 1.5 billion face marks made it into the planet’s oceans last year, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has hinted on plans towards setting up a collection point for proper disposal of nose masks.

Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, Executive Director of EPA in an interview with GhanaWeb said the disposal of nose masks at the various collection points will either be incinerated or recycled.

“One of the areas we will be touching on is to look at setting up a collection point to hoard disposed nose masks for incineration or recycling”.

Highlighting the concern, the EPA said a planned partnership with an environmental technology firm is underway to embark on sensitizing the public on the safe disposal of nose masks.

“It is important that we tell the public that EPA has put up strategic plans to embark on massive awareness creation and education”.

Dr Kokofu noted that beyond the counter-campaign, enforcement and compliance will be rigid for sanctions to be applied.

He said: “We have to do a sort of counter-current campaign just to enable people to understand that yes, you are protecting yourselves against COVID-19, you just must ensure that you are protecting the environment especially most of these disposable ones have to be disposed of properly.”

Ocean Asia Report

A report by a conservation organization, Oceans Asia, that the number of face masks that made it into the planet’s oceans last year may be as high as 1.5 billion has raised an environmental threat to aquatic lives.