Personal protective equipment (PPE) litter in terrestrial urban areas of Iligan City, Philippines

Abstract

In recent years, many countries have relied on the massive use of personal protective equipment (PPE) following the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) to combat coronavirus disease . These PPEs include facemasks, face shields, disinfectant wipes, and disposable gloves. While PPE can serve as protection, it can also be a source of pollution. This study is rst to establish a baseline monitoring and assessment on the spatial distribution of COVID-19 related PPE litter approaching into the post-pandemic from the urban areas in a city of the Philippines. A total of 1,632 Covid-19 PPE litter were gathered in all surveyed locations; predominantly were facemasks (90%) and disinfectant wipes (10%). Among the surveyed areas, the location that recorded the highest count and density of PPE litter is in a residential zone (52.14%; n=851; 0.0317 item m-2); the lowest was determined in the recreational parks (2.57%; n = 42; 0.0016 item m-2). The relatively signi cant difference among the total count of PPE items in each location could be traced to the varying land-use and ecosystem as well as the human behavior and activities. FTIR results revealed that all types of facemasks sampled are principally made of polypropylene, a material that threatens environmental sustainability and low recyclability. As the country is embracing the new normal and somewhat returning to pre-pandemic activities; this study calls for the prioritization of the government agendas on ecological solid waste management in the country.