The solution seems simple – reusable face masks. One recent study found masks can easily leach plastics into waterways. Not only are hundreds of millions of face masks disposed of every single day, but the plastic fibers in the masks are adding to a frightening microplastic problem. The accumulating waste problem from disposable masks is nothing short of catastrophic. This virus is not going to suddenly disappear, so is the future going to be an endless cycle of buying and dumping disposable masks? Now it’s 2022, and you could be forgiven for pausing a moment before you put in an order for yet another box of disposable N95 masks. In a world permanently changed by the emergence of the stunningly infectious Omicron variant, well-fitted N95 masks became the only real option for those seeking good protection from this airborne virus. But soon it became clear they weren’t that effective either. Cloth masks simply weren’t enough, so many people shifted to using surgical masks. Remember when everyone was experimenting with different kinds of cloth face mask designs back in 2020? For many, the frustration of mask wearing could be offset by the creative ways cloth masks were decoratively deployed.Īs the pandemic wore on, new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerged and we learned more about how this novel virus spread.

Cool gas mask