Newstalk that disposable facemasks are inherently dangerous to wildlife. “We see that facemasks, because they have these little stringy bits on the sides of them, are particularly threatening to marine life,” he said. “A bit like the plastic rings on beer six-packs.” Single-use Lyndsey O’Connell from the Sick of Plastic campaign says the use of paper cups, plastic glasses, and disposable masks since the start of the pandemic is adding to the growing litter problem. “We can’t eat indoors so a lot of the food that we are given and we are taking away is covered in all of this single-use, poor-quality packaging that only ever ends up in an incinerator or in a land-fill,” she said.