ordinance which will define the proper disposal of single-use masks

that contain synthetic fibers. 

Since March, Every citizen has been required to wear a face mask
as protection against coronavirus-19 infection, but the government
has yet to craft a law on how to dispose of it.

Many threw their face masks as among the garbage while others
put it in a plastic bag before putting it on a garbage bin, but there
are those who just leave their face mask at their convenience.

Villafuerte said materials with synthetic fibers do decay, thus,

leaving damage to the environment. 

Among the proposed mode of disposal is applying disinfectant to

every used face mask and it must be cut into pieces before throwing
it.

Face masks, according to her should be separated from the regular

garbages to protect the garbage collectors.

The World Health Organization even suggests that removing face

mask-one must not touch the from the mask and should dispose of
it immediately in a closed bin.

The Narayana Health in India in a report suggests the following

protocol in wearing and disposing of face masks:
 Cloth mask (Wash) – Should be washed properly and frequently and left to
hang and air dry.
 Surgical mask (Fold, tie, wrap) – It should be removed chin upwards, and
please take care to remove it from the strings and be careful not to touch the front
portion while taking off the mask. After taking the mask off, please fold it half inwards,
such that droplets from mouth and nose are not exposed. Then, fold the mask into
another half, until it looks like a roll. The mask can also be wrapped with its ear loops so
that it will not unravel. Then wrap the mask in a tissue paper or polythene bag and
immediately discard it in the yellow waste bag. Keep the things handy before disposing
of it.
  N95 respirator – When removing the mask, hold the edge of the straps attached
to take of the N95 mask. Don’t touch the inside part of the respirator. Wash
hands before and after it. Gently remove the mask so as not to disseminate
contaminants on the mask. Place the mask in a plastic bag or zip-lock bag. You
can also store them in a breathable container such as a paper bag between
uses. Secure the bag tightly. Place the plastic bag into garbage can or
biomedical waste disposal unit. Never put on a new mask until you have properly
washed your hands.

Under the proposed ordinance, "all used face masks should be treated as hazardous and contaminated
materials," which should be properly disposed of
an article from The Guardian, which stated that 120 countries, including the Philippines, have made
wearing face masks compulsory to the public when going out.

RALPH LAWRENCE G. LLEMIT

July 15, 2020

A DAVAO City councilor is pushing to penalize Dabawenyos who are caught improperly
disposing of their single-use face masks.

Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 filed "The Face Mask Disposal
Ordinance of Davao City," which was approved on first reading.

Under the proposed ordinance, "all used face masks should be treated as hazardous and
contaminated materials," which should be properly disposed of.

Villafuerte, who is the 19th City Council committee chairperson on health, said during her
privilege speech that she filed the measure due to the increasing use of face mask as a minimum
protection against the transmission of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), which remains to have
no cure and medicine as of Wednesday, July 15.

"The reality of Covid-19 requires us to apply drastic changes to both our personal and public
lives," the councilor said.

She cited an article from The Guardian, which stated that 120 countries, including the
Philippines, have made wearing face masks compulsory to the public when going out.

However, Villafuerte, who is also a medical professional, noted that some are not properly
disposing of their face mask, which she said is risky for cross-contamination.

"This may happen when masks contaminated with the virus are freely being disposed of as
ordinary garbage," she said.

"Remember that there are asymptomatic virus carriers. There is a very real possibility that such a
person may inadvertently spread the virus through improper disposal of his/her used face mask,"
she said, adding that it is concerning to know of the possibility that garbage collectors might get
infected.

Another issue she cited is the worsening garbage problem, which improper mask disposal could
cause.

Villafuerte said the material composition of surgical masks has been present in the environment,
as these are made of a variety of synthetic plastic fibers. She added these do not decay naturally,
and could cause problems to the city's waterways and may pose a serious threat to the marine
ecosystem.

She also cited another unnamed report that in the United Kingdom, 60,000 tons of contaminated
plastic wastes are added every year as a result of their usage of disposable masks.
According to the ordinance's provisions, all households should properly dispose of their used masks in a
small black garbage bag and disinfect them with ordinary bleach solution. Bags containing masks must be
properly closed before disposal.

The ordinance also advised that used masks be cut in half to avoid it being reused.

It also warns that disposable masks should not be flushed in the toilet or drains. Also, no masks shall be
thrown in canals, streams, rivers, beaches, or any bodies of water.

Any person caught violating the proposed ordinance will be penalized.

Violators for the first offense will be fined P500, while P1,000 for the second offense, and P2,000 for the
third and subsequent offense.

 Improper disposal of non-reusable face masks will soon be prohibited in Davao City once the
local council here passes the proposed ordinance imposing penalties on violators to “avert
possible COVID waste crisis.”

The proposed ordinance, authored by Third District Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte who
chairs the Committee on Health, will impose a fine of P500 or reprimand and seminar for first
offense, P1,000 for second offense, P2,000 for third offense, and P3,000 for subsequent offenses.

Section 4 states that all “used face masks should be treated as hazardous and contaminated waste
and as such proper disposal should be observed in the households by “cutting them in half to
avoid their possible reuse” before disposing them in a small garbage bag, ideally yellow in color,
and disinfecting them with the recommended bleach solution.

It added that “bags containing the discarded masks must then be properly closed or sealed before
disposal, and must be segregated and labeled properly with a written mark which reads ‘used
masks’, or by any yellow color indicating the international color code for hazardous waste.”

It said disposable face masks should not be flushed in the toilet or drain and must not be thrown
in canals, streams, rivers, beaches or any bodies of water.
Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) executive director Chinkie P. Golle urged
Dabawenyos to properly dispose of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly face
masks, or better yet opt for reusable masks to reduce wastes during the 6pandemic.

Golle was alarmed with the improper disposal of disposable face masks in the households amid
the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“We, general public, are encouraged to move away from disposable PPEs to avert a COVID
waste crisis. Let us not allow this health crisis to turn into even bigger pollution crisis,” she said.

Golle said masks are made of dense thermoplastics that do not biodegrade when discarded, and
can stay in the environment for 450 years.

“We call on the public to properly dispose the PPEs. Most PPEs will just be for one-time use but,
of course, as a general public, we are not front-liners so we are calling on the public to use
reusable face masks, reusable PPEs. We have to use this so we can contribute in decreasing the
amount of PPEs being thrown away,” she said during Monday’s online forum on “Where Do Our
Disposable PPEs Go?: Assessing waste management in the time of COVID-19” organized by
MindaNews in partnership with Internews and Earth Journalism Network.

Golle said the medical wastes produced for every COVID-19 patient were estimated at 3.4 kilos
a day.

She said that improper disposal of face masks are polluting the environment, many of those
ending up in the shorelines, seas, and oceans.

“We observed that during the lockdown the volume of plastic wastes, including the PPEs,
increased. We wrote the city mayor, asking her to develop guidelines on how to properly dispose
the PPEs in Davao City,” she added.

DAVAO CITY – The improper disposal of non-reusable face masks will soon be prohibited in
Davao City once the local council here passes the proposed ordinance imposing penalties on
violators to avert a possible COVID waste crisis.
The proposed ordinance, authored by 3rd District Councilor Mary Joselle D. Villafuerte,
chairman of the Committee on Health, will impose a fine of 1500 or reprimand and seminar for
the first offense, 11,000 for the 2ndoffense, 12,000 for the 3rd offense, and 13,000 for
subsequent offenses.
Section 4 states that all “used face masks should be treated as hazardous and contaminated waste,
and as such, proper disposal should be observed in the households by “cutting them in half to
avoid their possible reuse” before disposing them in a small garbage bag, ideally yellow in color,
and disinfecting them with the recommended bleach solution.
It added that “bags containing the discarded masks must then be properly closed or sealed before
disposal, and must be segregated and labeled properly with a written mark which reads “used
masks” or by any yellow color indicating the international color code for hazardous waste.
It said disposable face masks should not be flushed in the toilet or drain and must not be thrown
into canals, streams, rivers, beaches, or any bodies of water.
Interface Development Interventions for sustainability (IDIS) executive director Chinkie P. Golle
urged Dabawenyos to properly dispose of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly face
masks, or opt for reusable masks to reduce wastes during the pandemic.
Golle said the improper disposal of face masks in the households amid the coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) is alarming.
“We, the general public, are encouraged to move away from disposable PPEs to avert a COVID
waste crisis. Let us not allow this health crisis to turn into an even bigger pollution crisis,” she
said.
She said masks are made of dense thermoplastics that do not biodegrade when discarded and can
stay in the environment for 450 years.
“We call on the public to properly dispose of the PPEs. Most PPEs will just be for one-time use
but, of course, as a general public, we are not frontliners so we are calling on the public to use
reusable face masks, reusable PPEs. We have to use the reusable so we can contribute to the
decreasing amount of PPEs being thrown away,” she said.
Golle said the medical wastes produced for every COVID-19 patient were estimated at 3.4 kilos
a day.
She said the improper disposal of face masks is polluting the environment, many of which end
up in the shorelines, seas, and oceans.
“We observed that during the lockdown, the volume of plastic wastes, including the PPEs,
increased. We wrote to the city mayor, asking her to develop guidelines on how to properly
dispose of the PPEs in Davao City,” she added

The wearing of face masks is now mandatory in nearly all parts of the world as
scientists race to end the coronavirus pandemic with a fully developed vaccine.
COVID-19 is transmitted from person to person through droplets; thus, face masks are
used to prevent infection and its spread.
One of the commonly used and highly recommended types of face masks is the N-88
surgical mask which is a three-ply, non-woven disposable mask.
In the meantime, Alegado urged Consolacion residents to practice separating
infectious wastes from other garbage inside their own houses.

Read more: https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/333620/consolacion-mulls-measure-
penalizing-improper-mask-disposal#ixzz6XCAW072s
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