Can you believe it’s been more than a year since COVID-19 entered our lives and changed our daily routines? One thing most of us noticed is how quickly our practices went from reducing our consumption of single-use items to prioritizing their use. Not to mention, we were introduced to a variety of new single-use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like masks, gloves and hand wipes! Every time you reach for disposable PPE, just remember our collective consumption of single-use items has a dramatic impact on our physical environment.

A UN News report states, “…it can be expected that around 75 per cent of the used masks, as well as other pandemic-related waste, will end up in landfills, or floating in the seas.” Sadly, single-use masks are floating like jellyfish in the ocean, ending up along beaches and trapping marine life. Like all single-use plastics, disposable masks and gloves take several hundred years to break down, and when they do, they simply break down into microparticles, rather than biodegrading entirely.

So how can we stay green even with the need for PPE? Here are a few ways to think about our community and earth, as well as our health and safety:

• First and foremost, wear your mask, get tested and get vaccinated.
• Second, stock up on reusable masks. Having 5–7 masks will allow you to machine-wash your used masks while always having a fresh one for use. 
• Finally, if you must use a single-use protective item like a mask or glove, make sure it ends up in the trash and won’t be able to get picked up by the wind.

At Nugget Markets, we’re doing our best to keep sustainability front of mind even while facing the challenges the pandemic presents. We were able to cut down our use of single-use items through our associates’ use of reusable masks (washed daily!) and the practice of sanitizing our carts by spraying them down instead of using individual wipes. Learn more about our sustainability practices here!