Items

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  2022-05-06

  Edmonton high school students create company upcycling masks into jewelry

  This is a news story from CTV News by Adam Lachacz. A group of students from Lillian Osborne High School have formed a company to make use of disposable masks so that less of them end up in landfills. The company is called "Gaia" after the Greek goddess of the earth. The company is selling necklaces and earrings made from disposable masks online.
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  2022-04-07

  Mask Pollution

  This is an Instagram post by discarded_face_masks_uk. This is an account that shows people that have left their face masks on the ground, thus making it worse for the environment. Hashtags like #coveryourface do imply that they still want you to wear a mask, but are against people accidentally leaving them on the ground. This helps speak of a larger issue where with mask mandates in places in some areas, it leaves more opportunity for people to litter with their face masks, as people will take them off at times when doing certain tasks or if they think they don't need one in some specific area.
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  2022-02-08

  Pink disposable mask trash

  A pink disposable mask on ASU’s campus near Coor.
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  2021-09-28

  The trashiest place on earth

  Mask trash at Disneyland California
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  2021-09-22

  Mask trash near the bike rack

  A disposable mask was discarded/lost by the bike rack near the COOR building on campus.
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  2021-09-23

  Disposable mask on campus

  A disposable mask on the ground early in the morning before 9AM classes begin.
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  2021-08-21

  Mask trash

  I went to Sedona to celebrate my birthday with some friends. We decided to do the bell rock hike and as we were hiking and enjoying nature it felt like life before Covid. It was an odd feeling of normalcy. That feeling quickly fled as we got lost on our way back to the parking lot. We ended up walking on the highway back to the parking lot instead of walking through a random trail. As we walked I came across this mask, there’s no way of knowing if it came from a car or a hiker but I was quickly reminded that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. Seeing left behind masks always makes me wonder how much mask trash has impacted our environment.
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  2021-08-21

  Mask trash outside the CDL

  Wednesday, August 18 was the eve of the first day of classes at Arizona State University. It was also the first week that the Child Development Lab (CDL) was open for daycare on campus. I picked my son up around 5:00 PM and took this picture of mask trash, likely unintentionally dropped by one of the parents outside the center. This image is part of the mask trash series.
• 
  2020-05-15

  PPE as litter

  One of the most frustrating parts of the pandemic is the return to single use items. While we're talking about building back better, people are also using more packaging via online orders and disposable items to avoid sharing. Single use masks are particularly problematic and can be frequently seen on the ground as litter. The strings get caught around birds' legs and cause problems for wildife.
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  2021-07-22T09:50

  Flag Area Mask Trash

  This is a littered mask I found just several dozen feet east of the flag area and the program office at Camp Wolfeboro. I had just finished my Forestry merit badge session on the Tuolumne County side of camp, when I crossed the river to head to my Shotgun Shooting merit badge session at 10:00 AM. On the way to the range, I found a mask laying on the ground. I was a bit baffled as to how this mask was still here, because dozens of people had to have walked by it that morning already, whether going to or from a merit badge class or heading back to their campsite. The mask is extremely obvious, so anyone who walked here would have seen it. The photo was taken at 9:50 AM on Thursday, July 22, 2021.
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  2021-07-23T15:31

  Shotgun Range Mask Trash

  In addition to finding mask trash at my campsite and in the common areas that Scouts and Scouters (adults in Scouting) walk through, I also found mask trash at program areas (meaning areas where merit badge sessions and other Scouting activities take place), like the shotgun range. Like the other photos, I picked up the mask after I took the photo. I am not as disappointed about this littered mask as I am about the others because it was in a fairly hidden location under a bench and I think most people at the range wouldn't have seen it. The photo was taken at 3:31 PM on Friday, July 23, 2021.
• 
  2021-07-19T06:58

  Boucke Mask Trash

  This is a photo I took of a mask littered on the ground at the Boucke campsite at Camp Wolfeboro. This is the campsite where my troop, Troop 834, stayed during the fifth week of camp, when I took the photo. I picked up the mask and threw it away after I took the photo, and I hope it wasn't anyone from our troop who forgot to pick up their garbage. I find it interesting that the pandemic prevented most human activity from taking place at the camp in 2020 and now that people have returned there are new types of trash. The photo was taken at 6:58 AM on Monday, July 19, 2021.
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  2021-06-12

  Mask trash Golden Gate Bridge Park

  Several disposable masks littered the grounds around the Golden Gate Bridge Park on the north end of the bridge. This photo shows a blue disposable mask near a lookout.
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  2021-06-12

  Mask trash San Francisco

  While visiting the Golden State Bridge, I came across this blue fabric mask with a penguin print.
• 
  2020-04-11

  Used Glove in a Parking Lot

  One of many used gloves in the parking lot of a grocery store in the early days of the pandemic.
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  2021-04-20

  Mask trash #34

  Disposable mask along the riverwalk on the north bank of Rio Salado near the volleyball courts.
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  2021-04-20

  Mask trash #33

  Black disposable face mask floating in the Rio Salado River near Tempe Beach Park.
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  2021-04-19

  Mask trash #32

  Blue and white disposable mask trash caught in the shrubs off to the side of Priest and near Rio Salado.
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  2021-04-15

  Mask trash #31

  Disposable mask found along the north bank of rio salado, near the 202 loop and Priest.
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  2021-04-06

  Mask trash #20

  A child's re-usable face mask with Cars 2 design found on the sidewalk across from Jaycee Park in Tempe, Arizona.
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  2021-04-02

  Mask trash #28

  Blue and white disposable mask near the Tempe Center for the Arts parking lot.
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  2021-04-02

  Mask trash #27

  White disposable mask found near Tempe Beach Park.
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  2021-04-01

  Mask trash #26

  Mask trash along Rio Salado Parkway near Hardy Drive.
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  2021-03-26

  Mask trash #26

  Black and white checker fabric face mask near Tempe Beach park.
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  2021-03-26

  Mask trash #25

  Disposable white face mask found near 9th and Roosevelt in Tempe, AZ.
• 
  2021-03-27

  Mask trash #24

  Disposable mask on the ground near the cart return at Whole Foods in downtown Tempe, AZ.
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  2021-03-23

  Mash trash #23

  Mask near the construction site at 5th and Ash in downtown Tempe.
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  2021-03-22

  Mask trash #21

  Disposable mask found alone the metro light rail near Ash & 5th
• 
  2021-03-23

  The mask trash series

  The mask trash series. Historical records come in many forms, and although history favors the written record, the current pandemic reveals ephemeral stories worth documenting. Globally, many people are wearing face masks daily, some are hand-sewn, others commercially made, and some are disposable. They are necessary, they slow the rate of transmission, but they also come with an environmental cost. Corresponding with this new public health trend is a rise in pandemic-related trash such as face masks littering driveways, streets, sidewalks, parks, and waterways. Face masks choke the landscape and harm wildlife. Disposable masks are spun from polymer plastic, meaning they won’t break down, but they will continue to split into smaller and smaller pieces, some of which will be ingested by animals and even re-consumed by other creatures in the food chain. The mask trash series seeks to highlight the increase in pandemic-related trash, and give space to a facet of history we often wish we could ignore: the waste we either intentionally or inadvertently discard.
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  2021-03-16

  Mask trash #15

  Blue & white disposable face mask east of Rural road found along the South Bank of the riverwalk along Rio Salado.
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  2021-03-16

  Mask trash #13

  Child's fabric face mask with a Batman print. This was found near Tempe Beach Park. I picked it up and brought it home as it was in pretty good condition. First, I'm soaking it in vinegar and then I'll wash for my 2yo to use.
• 
  2020-03-08

  Mask trash #10

  White & blue disposable mask along the rail line. Found near the corner of Ash and 5th in downtown Tempe, AZ.
• 
  2021-03-06

  Mask trash #9

  It's rare to see trash or even discarded masks on campus. The university does a good job of keeping the grounds tidy and clean-looking. I found this mask near the back stairs of the COOR building.
• 
  2021-03-06

  Mask trash #8

  I came across this white fabric mask while walking from home to the university. It was near the corner of Roosevelt and 5th.
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  2021-03-04

  Mask trash #7

  Mask trash spotted on the walk back from Whole Foods near the intersection of 5th and Hardy.
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  2021-03-04

  Mask trash #6

  Fabric mask spotted on the corner of Mill and University near Campus.
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  2020-03-01

  Mask trash #5

  Mondays are "no media Mondays," at our house. I went out with the family to the river walk along Rio Salado. On our way back to the car, I found this black, fabric, reusable mask on the path just down from the Tempe Center for the Arts.
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  2020-02-27

  Mask trash #4

  Disposable masks are everywhere, I found this one stuck in my neighbor's fence.
• 
  2021-02-22

  Mask trash #3

  Disposable mask spotted en route from the Tempe transit center to the Childhood Development (Psychology building) on Campus along Veteran's Way. 33°25'21.0"N 111°55'45.3"W
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  2021-02-20

  Mask trash #2

  I saw this black, disposable mask while vacuuming my van on Saturday at Cobblestone Auto Spa. I picked it up and threw it away before it blew into the water channel.
• 
  2021-02-20

  Mask trash # 1

  Mask trash on the playground at the Kroc Center in Phoenix, AZ
• 
  2021-02-07T18:36

  Mask Trash

  This is a photograph of a mask discarded on the side of my yard, in the desert where many animals such as coyotes, quail, javelinas, and rabbits make their homes. I have seen much pandemic-related trash discarded on the sides of the road, on sidewalks, and in people’s yards during this pandemic: hand sanitizer bottles, masks, wipes, etc. With the pandemic has come an increase in the use of disposable materials such as these, adding to environmental degradation and displaying a disregard both for people and for animals. This photo of mask trash shows a toxic side effect of the pandemic and a reminder that people need to use non-disposable items whenever possible and show respect for our natural environment by not throwing things away in this manner.
• 
  05/06/2020

  Picking up litter on our neighborhood walks

  Photos of my partner and I picking up litter in our Taylors, SC neighborhood during our walk. We wear masks to go out and walk in the neighborhood no matter what but add gloves if we plan to pick up litter. It's hard to feel useful or any sense of control during this time. Doing this while we get out for a little exercise gives us a small feeling of control over our immediate environment and a sense that we are doing something positive for ourselves and our neighbors. It feels better than staying entirely isolated and feeling helpless in the face of all of this fear, grief and loss.
• 
  2020-04-01

  Gloves and a mask lying on the pavement

  A mask and gloves left lying on the pavement by an unknown person for unknown reasons.
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  2020-04-04

  Covid-19 Landscape

  Latex gloves began showing up everywhere on walks.
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  2020-04-04

  Covid-19 Landscape

  These masks, once common in construction sites, became the standard for daily outings.
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  2020-04-04

  Covid-19 Landscape

  Latex gloves starting appearing everywhere.
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  2020-04-03

  Protection and Pollution

  This image shows the result of single use items being increasingly more popular during the pandemic, as they are thought to be more sanitary. This increase in single use items are ending in the ocean, and washing onto our shores.
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  2020-04-07

  Emergency water packets strewn in the street

  These emergency water packets were lying in the middle of Orchid Street on an early Tuesday morning. Accident? Litter?
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  2020-03-22

  Litter at Winn Dixie and Lafitte Greenway, New Orleans, LA

  Even with stay-at-home orders in effect, litter from Winn Dixie finds its way into the adjacent Lafitte Greenway.