Face masks are playing an essential role in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Face masks such as N95, and surgical masks, contain a considerable portion of non-recyclable plastic material. Marine plastic pollution is likely to increase due to the rapid use and improper dispensing of face masks, but until now, no extensive quantitative estimation exists for coastal regions. Linking behaviour dataset on face mask usage and solid waste management dataset, this study estimates annual face mask utilization and plastic pollution from mismanaged face masks in coastal regions of 46 countries. It is estimated that approximately 0.15 million tons to 0.39 million tons of plastic debris could end up in global oceans within a year. With lower waste management facilities, the number of plastic debris entering the ocean will rise. Significant investments are required from global communities in improving the waste management facilities for better disposal of masks and solid waste.

口罩在预防 COVID-19 传播方面发挥着重要作用。 N95 等口罩和外科口罩含有相当一部分不可回收的塑料材料。由于口罩的快速使用和分配不当，海洋塑料污染可能会增加，但到目前为止，沿海地区还没有广泛的定量估计。这项研究将口罩使用行为数据集和固体废物管理数据集联系起来，估算了 46 个国家沿海地区每年的口罩使用量以及管理不善的口罩造成的塑料污染。据估计，一年内大约有 15 万吨至 39 万吨塑料碎片可能最终流入全球海洋。随着废物管理设施的减少，进入海洋的塑料碎片数量将会增加。全球社会需要大量投资来改善废物管理设施，以更好地处理口罩和固体废物。