DISPOSABLE face coverings could cost Ealing residents more than £64m a year and generate 340 tons of plastic waste, according to new research. 

Face masks are to be compulsory in shops in England from this week (24) and experts are concerned about the environmental impact of disposable items.

According to scientists at UCL, if every person in the UK used one single-use mask each day for a year, it would create 66,000 tons of contaminated plastic waste and create ten times more climate change impact than using re-usable masks. 

New analysis from money.co.uk found that disposable masks would cost every person in the UK £189.80 a year. Using a reusable mask would cost £4 per year, leading to a yearly saving of £185.80.

Using these findings, along with population data from ONS, it has calculated the financial and environmental impacts of disposable masks in Ealing.

If every person in Ealing wore a disposable mask each day for a year, collectively it would cost £64,874,779 and generate 342 tons of plastic waste.

https://www.money.co.uk/guides/sustainable-shopping-budgeting