“…Moreover, landfilling of plastic wastes, including PPE waste, results in the release of microplastics via landfill leachate ( Alimi et al, 2018 , Sundt et al, 2014 ), contributing to land and water contamination ( Bergmann et al, 2015 , Nizzetto et al, 2016 ). With the increase in scarcity of landfill disposal sites, growing environmental issues ( Goh et al, 2000 ) and rise in waste volume, landfill disposal of municipal solid waste such as PPE waste is not a desirable option in many regions.…”