People are being asked to wear a reusable cloth mask, instead of disposable coverings to help protect the environment.
The plea comes from arc21, the resource and waste management body for six local councils, including Antrim and Newtownabbey.
Although demand for single use plastic in consumer products such as disposable coffee cups has fallen in recent years, arc21 is concerned that progress may be undermined by the impact of the pandemic.
This has created demand for billions of disposable PPE items in the UK alone and prompted health concerns which have increased demand for non-recyclable plastic such as fresh food plastic-wrapping.
arc21 believes that switching from disposable to reusable face masks could help reduce demand for single use plastic and avoid the growing litter problem caused by disposable masks which are potentially contaminated with COVID-19.
The World Health Organisation has said that global production of PPE will increase by 40% to cope with the demands of the pandemic.
Tim Walker, arc21’s acting CEO, said in line with Government advice they’re encouraging the public to strongly consider using reusable rather than disposable face coverings.
“Single use plastic was already a major environmental headache before the pandemic, creating litter in our streets and waterways. It is disappointing that potentially contaminated disposable masks are now adding to that problem.
“The thrust of environmental policy is to reduce waste at source, increase recycling and move away from our unhealthy dependency on landfill and exporting waste overseas. Given that some single use plastic items are unavoidable due to health concerns, it’s even more important than ever that we all think carefully about choosing environmentally friendly solutions when possible,” he said.
And Mr Walker said single use plastic is a local and global problem with recent reports suggesting that the amount of plastic waste in our oceans will triple to 600m tonnes by 2040.
“Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful has also reported that 78% of the 3,000,000 items littering our coastline are plastic. Adding contaminated PPE to this mix would be an environmental calamity,” he said.
Mr Walker said Northern Ireland has made major strides in improving its recycling habits, but further steps are needed.
“In order to meet Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, businesses and individuals need to fundamentally change the way they consume and use raw materials, embrace a circular economy and move towards a truly zero waste society.
“Although government advice is that reusable cups and containers can still be used as long as they are thoroughly cleaned in hot soapy water, the pandemic has brought into sharp focus society’s reliance on non-recyclable plastic and our lack of home-grown waste infrastructure to handle contaminated material,” he added.