DISPOSABLE facemask litter in York is a growing problem, according to one waste firm.

According to TradeWaste.co.uk which provides commercial waste collections and recycling services in York, the number of used single use face masks being spotted during patrols in York is believed to be about 151,513 per day.

Charlotte Green from the firm said: "The scale of the problem of carelessly dumped disposable face masks is massive – residents of York use 151,513 single use plastic masks a day and sadly some of these are being dropped, or simply fall from people’s pockets – sightings are increasingly common now.

"The number of disposable face masks that will be used across the UK in 2021 has been calculated at 19.5 billion. A proportion of these are discarded either carelessly or accidentally, meaning many end up being blown into woods making their journey into streams, rivers and eventually the sea."

Ms Green said that litter pickers across the country are reporting an increasing number of masks being collected during their rounds. Generally, litter picking groups are finding 1 mask for every 60m they patrol, especially near shops.

She said: “Used masks are tricky and you should not touch a used mask – they should be treated like any other potentially contaminated material and only handled professionally using the right protecting equipment, there are obvious risks associated with coming into contact with a used mask.

“The way to tackle this potential environmental disaster is for everyone to move towards washable reusable masks, not only will this cut down on single use mask litter, but it also reduces the environmental impacts of manufacturing 19.5 billion plastic masks in the first place. As a country we have worked so hard to reduce plastic consumption, yet we are sleepwalking into another nightmare."