What’s up #YugenCommunity! How is everyone today?
The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way in which we interact with each other as the wearing of face masks when leaving our homes has become the new normal. Face masks come in several varieties such as cloth, surgical and N95 masks but today, we’re focusing on cloth masks.
Cloth masks, also regarded as reusable masks, are beneficial not only to our health during these times, but also to the environment as they can be reused. In contrast, surgical masks, which are the common alternative to cloth masks, can be seen as harmful to the environment due to many reasons.
When our healthcare professionals use these surgical masks, they dispose of it through incineration to avoid contamination via improper disposal. However, the average person does not possess the means to properly dispose of these masks which risks the unnecessary contamination of others and can lead to issues such as pollution. For instance, in Hong Kong, thousands of disposal masks have washed up on the shores of beaches, posing a grave threat to marine life and wildlife.
Therefore, cloth masks are not only a viable economic alternative to us, but they are also more beneficial to the environment as they reduce the level of waste generation and accumulation on our planet. It’s a great way to adhere to the three more well-known R’s of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling!
There are so many local businesses and seamstresses that have begun selling masks at reasonable prices with endless designs to choose from. So why not support our local entrepreneurs and crafts persons while also doing our part to help our planet? 😊
So tell me below, what are some of your favourite local social media accounts for reusable masks?
-Daniella K