Agrata Weekly Article Vol. 4 — Understanding The Environmental Impact of Excessive Disposable Facemask Usages

Written by: Agung Marsallindo

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic require all people on the earth’s surface to take preventive action to break the chain of spreading this virus. Wearing a mask is mandatory equipment that must be wear, apart from other government appeals such as maintaining distance and washing hands with soap. The reason is, the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads through the human respiratory tract, which resulted in the government’s 3-M action being very effective in preventing the spread of this virus.

The Indonesian government, through its policy, has at least three times changed the recommendation to use this type of facemask to the public. First, when The pandemic has declared through WHO, facemasks were only used for people who felt the symptoms of Covid-19. Then, facemasks are mandatory for preventive measures. Later, the facemask must made from cloth. Later then, the government recommends using medical masks. Lastly, wearing a facemask must double between cloth masks on the outside and a medical facemask on the inside.

The adaptation of this method of using masks automatically implies using disposable masks, which then become garbage that is difficult to decompose. The Minister of PPN/Bappenas of the Republic of Indonesia himself stated that the increasing production of medical waste, dominated by disposable masks, is a new problem in this country.[1] The presence of disposable facemask waste is a challenge for all countries in the world. Still, the challenge even harder if the wastes occur in countries with lacking the waste management system, such as Indonesia, and additionally exacerbated by the community’s norm which tends to lack hygiene and waste management.

Awareness of disposable mask waste must be a national issue because it’s related to the global commitment of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 for concern on Protecting Marine Ecosystems, where the state and society expected to commit to conserving marine resources, such as oceans and maritime for sustainable development purposes.[2]

If taken for example, in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta produces mask waste from April to the end of December 2020, amounting to 1,538 kilograms. Who can imagine it if the government calculates this data based on the DKI Jakarta Environmental Service.[3] Indeed, the same number will also spread caused by improper waste management process, because can’t separate the community’s habit from throwing wastes not in places been provided.

Then, the phenomenon of mask waste that disrupts the marine ecosystem to be accepted because it is a real action for humankind against Covid-19? Is it the logical consequence of this pandemic for further damage to our environment? Furthermore, if looking at the ecological aspect, these resources’ commodification has implications for our survival, from waste to energy. However, in the meaning of life sustainability in this ecology aspect, the control or management of these potential environmental problems is the state’s responsibility and society itself.

What can’t ignore the presence of disposable facemask waste in the and solved by “It’s okay to have facemask wastes scattered in the environment, as long as mankind is safe from the war over this Covid-19 Pandemic”. The role of society and the state should work hand in hand to minimize this phenomenon.

According to Michael Watts’s writing, environmental problems are linking between humans and the environment itself.[4] This explains that We can win against this not only facemask waste but also the plastic one also disturbs the marine ecosystem can be solved if consolidates by carrying out the waste processing process independently and being aware of the dangers. What’s more, Watts also explained that the most fundamental thing in fighting environmental damage is “the power of grassroots in environmental politics”[5]. So, it is never too late in the process of handling the mask waste, immediately starting from we and then implementing it to the surrounding environment.

The government movement in the author’s research shows that it has been advantageous in educating the public. For example, on the website posted by the Environment and Forestry Service of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, there was an infographic of Disposable Mask Waste Management which is useful for information to the public.[6] However, suppose the scale remains to be expanded into all the information media that the government has. In that case, this positive information can be maximally campaigned and reduce the impact of the increasing number of disposable mask waste scattered in the oceans disrupt the ecosystem.

Finally, the lack of awareness to disposable mask waste that disturbs marine biodiversity from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic can be overcome with a participatory development system between communities and the government to make the mindset of ignoring the phenomenon of environmental damage no longer occurs and provides an understanding of the impact of environmental damage from overuse of disposable mask.

References

[1] Trio Hamdani. (2020). Access in finance.detik.com. (online). Sampah Masker dan APD Menumpuk Jadi Masalah Baru di RI. Pada https://finance.detik.com/berita-ekonomi-bisnis/d-5288027/sampah-masker-dan-apd-menumpuk-jadi-masalah-baru-di-ri. on 4 March 2021 at 23.48 WIB

[2] UNDP Indonesia. (2017). Access in sdg2030indonesia.org. (online). Sustainable Development Goals. Pada https://www.sdg2030indonesia.org/#modalIconDefinition. on 4 March 2021 at 23.58 WIB

[3] Anisa Dewi. (2021). Access in cnnindonesia.com. (online). Sampah Masker Bekas di DKI Capai 1.538 Kilogram. Pada https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20210127200146-20-599268/sampah-masker-bekas-di-dki-capai-1538-kilogram. on 5 March 2021 at 00.12 WIB

/[4]Michael Watts, et.al. (2003). Locating the Political in Political Ecology an Introduction. Society for Applied Anthropology collaborating with JSTOR. Vol.62(3)

[5]Ibid. Michael Watts, et.al. (2003)

[6]Bidang Pengendalian Pencemaran dan Kerusakan Lingkungan Hidup (2020). Access in dlhk.jogjaprov.go.id. (online). Pengelolaan Sampah Masker Sekali Pakai. Pada https://www.dlhk.jogjaprov.go.id/pengelolaan-sampah-masker-sekali-pakai. on 5 March 2020 at 00.59 WIB