County may soon ban littering of protective personal protective equipment

Across the county, the sight of gloves and masks in parking lots, on sidewalks and in parks has been off-putting to many, including Legislator Josh Lafazan.

That is why he submitted a bill on April 29 that, he said, would ban littering with personal protective equipment. “The legislation was inspired by personal observation,” said Lafazan, an independent from Woodbury. “Whether I was going to the supermarket, going to the park, the beach, walking in my community . . . I would see litter, used masks and gloves, everywhere. And it is disgusting.” 

A study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that the coronavirus can survive for up to 72 hours on plastics, which prompted Lafazan to conclude that the passage of his bill is urgent. “The consequences of some of these actions, the littering of gloves and masks, isn’t just a quality-of-life issue,” he said. “It’s a public health hazard.”

As for the environment, discarded PPE can add to the already growing number of pollutants entering waterways. OceanAsia, an organization dedicated to marine conservation, found clusters of masks off the southwest coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong in late February.

“I found out that wildlife can actually ingest the hazardous gloves and masks,” Lafazan said, “and it can actually kill them.”  

If the bill is passed in Nassau County, violators could face a $250 fine. However, Lafazan said, the bill may incorporate a community service option, like picking up litter, in lieu of paying the fine. “In conversations with the county and my own staff, we realized the financial hardships [a fine] would be for tens of thousands of Long Islanders,” Lafazan said. 

Donna Lee, a resident of Bayville who is also a member of the Bayville Environmental Conservation Commission, said she has noticed the PPE inappropriately discarded around her community, adding that it has surely been a topic of conversation among residents. 

“As somebody who cares about the environment, I think [the bill] is an excellent idea,” she said. “I didn’t know why the littering that we have anyway hasn’t been enforced.” 

Only individuals who litter on county property can be subject to a fine, Lafazan said, and if passed, the bill would only remain in effect when there is an ongoing state or local declaration of disaster emergency, like what is currently in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

In Glen Cove, the police department took to Facebook to remind people that  used PPE shouldn’t end up anywhere but in the garbage. “There’s one thing that we have noticed and that is the irresponsible disposal of our personal protective equipment,” Glen Cove Police Department Deputy Chief Chris Ortiz said in the video posted on the department’s Facebook page. “It is irresponsible for your friends and neighbors because it creates a potential hazard.” 

And while the masks and gloves can pose a hazard, it is still safe to simply throw them out, unlike needles and syringes and other biohazardous materials that need to be disposed of in other ways, said Donna Armellino, the vice president of infection prevention at Northwell Health. 

“As people are using masks and gloves when they go to the grocery store and other essential places, I’d like to remind them how to safely remove it to prevent potentially contaminating themselves,” Armellino said. “When removing a mask, do not touch the inside or outside of the mask; instead, use the bands on either side of the mask to flip the mask off and throw it in the trash. And with gloves, use your index and middle finger on your dominant hand to slip under the glove of your opposite hand. Then use that glove that you have removed to help remove the second glove.”

Lafazan said his bill is really about awareness. “Many people do not know that the virus can live on those gloves and masks,” he said. “People think that they’re just throwing it in the parking lot and that somebody will pick it up.” 

Across the county, the sight of gloves and masks in parking lots, on sidewalks and in parks has been off-putting to many, including Legislator Josh Lafazan.

That is why he submitted a bill on April 29 that, he said, would ban littering with personal protective equipment. “The legislation was inspired by personal observation,” said Lafazan, an independent from Woodbury. “Whether I was going to the supermarket, going to the park, the beach, walking in my community . . . I would see litter, used masks and gloves, everywhere. And it is disgusting.” 

A study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that the coronavirus can survive for up to 72 hours on plastics, which prompted Lafazan to conclude that the passage of his bill is urgent. “The consequences of some of these actions, the littering of gloves and masks, isn’t just a quality-of-life issue,” he said. “It’s a public health hazard.”

As for the environment, discarded PPE can add to the already growing number of pollutants entering waterways. OceanAsia, an organization dedicated to marine conservation, found clusters of masks off the southwest coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong in late February.

“I found out that wildlife can actually ingest the hazardous gloves and masks,” Lafazan said, “and it can actually kill them.”  

If the bill is passed in Nassau County, violators could face a $250 fine. However, Lafazan said, the bill may incorporate a community service option, like picking up litter, in lieu of paying the fine. “In conversations with the county and my own staff, we realized the financial hardships [a fine] would be for tens of thousands of Long Islanders,” Lafazan said. 

Donna Lee, a resident of Bayville who is also a member of the Bayville Environmental Conservation Commission, said she has noticed the PPE inappropriately discarded around her community, adding that it has surely been a topic of conversation among residents. 

“As somebody who cares about the environment, I think [the bill] is an excellent idea,” she said. “I didn’t know why the littering that we have anyway hasn’t been enforced.” 

Only individuals who litter on county property can be subject to a fine, Lafazan said, and if passed, the bill would only remain in effect when there is an ongoing state or local declaration of disaster emergency, like what is currently in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

In Glen Cove, the police department took to Facebook to remind people that  used PPE shouldn’t end up anywhere but in the garbage. “There’s one thing that we have noticed and that is the irresponsible disposal of our personal protective equipment,” Glen Cove Police Department Deputy Chief Chris Ortiz said in the video posted on the department’s Facebook page. “It is irresponsible for your friends and neighbors because it creates a potential hazard.” 

And while the masks and gloves can pose a hazard, it is still safe to simply throw them out, unlike needles and syringes and other biohazardous materials that need to be disposed of in other ways, said Donna Armellino, the vice president of infection prevention at Northwell Health. 

“As people are using masks and gloves when they go to the grocery store and other essential places, I’d like to remind them how to safely remove it to prevent potentially contaminating themselves,” Armellino said. “When removing a mask, do not touch the inside or outside of the mask; instead, use the bands on either side of the mask to flip the mask off and throw it in the trash. And with gloves, use your index and middle finger on your dominant hand to slip under the glove of your opposite hand. Then use that glove that you have removed to help remove the second glove.”

Lafazan said his bill is really about awareness. “Many people do not know that the virus can live on those gloves and masks,” he said. “People think that they’re just throwing it in the parking lot and that somebody will pick it up.”