The coronavirus outbreak has led to a dramatic increase in the demand for face masks. As a result, an estimated 1.56 billion face masks have already entered oceans in 2020. Disposable masks contain plastics that pollute water and can harm wildlife who eat them or become tangled in them. These masks will take as long as 450 years to break down, slowly turning into microplastics while negatively impacting marine wildlife and ecosystems.

With face masks littering the environment, the search is on for sustainable solutions.

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