Tidy Towns groups locally say they’ve seen an increase in masks and gloves being illegally discarded.
Dumping in general became more of an issue in some rural areas during the last lockdown.
Margaret Stone is involved with Nenagh Tidy Towns and she says the dumping of personal protective equipment is something they see all too regularly now.
“If you’re abiding by the rules like we were told – gloves/masks/sanitise – you should be that the minute you come out of the supermarket and putting it in the bin outside the door. Not getting into your car and saying ‘Oh God I must take off my gloves’ and open the window and pop them out. That’s what’s in my rubbish bag every time I go out to pick up rubbish.”
“And as well as that the disposable masks are not disposable – they’re full of plastic.”
