New York City’s Newest Litter Trend? Masks And Gloves.

One good way to decompress is to take solitary walks outside in the springtime weather. But the traces of these walks are beginning to be spotted around the city: Instead of trails of breadcrumbs, trails of personal protective equipment (PPE) can be seen strewn along the streets and sidewalks. Outside grocery stores, apartment buildings and even hospitals: a blue glove here, a mask there. 

Not only is littering (as always) bad for the environment (already, single-use masks associated with the coronavirus pandemic have started washing up on shorelines, and this kind of pollution can injure or even kill already imperiled marine life), this new litter trend is especially awful since tossing these items wherever, whenever, could potentially spread novel coronavirus. 

So, please help spread the word: In addition to washing hands for 20 seconds and disinfecting cell phones, let’s add another new routine to the list: Safely throw away masks and gloves into trash bins. 

photo: iStock