Love Island star Lucie Donlan says discarded face masks are killing wildlife and backs Sun campaign
THE Sun’s Mask Force has been a huge hit.
The appeal – part of our Green Team campaign – is helping to stop single-use face coverings ending up in the sea and killing wildlife.
You have filled our recycling boxes in Morrisons stores. The masks are turned by recycling firm ReWorked into benches, building materials and more.
Here, we hear from an ex-Love Islander and eco-campaigner on the importance of properly disposing of masks.
Lucie Donlan
I FEEL that the way things are going, children are only going to see amazing marine animals such as dolphins and sharks in their story books.
I want future generations to have the experiences that I have been lucky enough to have with our incredible wildlife.
Over the past year I’ve seen so many more single-use masks littered around Newquay, where I live, and in the ocean.
I think people in towns and cities don’t realise that whatever they drop often ends up making its way into the sea and then on to our beaches.
They’ll only see the full extent of the damage when they come down here on holiday.
I work with The Sea Life Trust at its sanctuary in Gweek and there have been increasing numbers of seal pups brought in that have been damaged by litter.
It’s incredibly sad. So many animals are washed up on our beach with plastic in their stomachs.
They’re seeing these single-use masks and eating them because they think they’re food.
The plastic gets stuck in their tummy, which blocks their digestive system and they starve to death. It is just horrible.
I want people to know that doing beach clean-ups is a cool thing.
I want them to know that hanging out on beaches then taking your rubbish home is a good thing.
I want people to love our beaches. If you love surfing, do it, and if you spot some rubbish pick it up and take it home.
Recycle your masks in The Sun’s specialist bins at Morrisons.
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We’ve got so many beautiful animals around us and it would be amazing if every single person did their little bit to help protect them and keep them safe.
I get very emotional about these kinds of things but at the same time it makes me really angry seeing these poor seabirds being tangled up in the masks.
A lot of people don’t realise they can get trapped in the straps of the masks. Then they can’t move and they’ll starve to death.
All you have to do is take your single-use masks, put them in the bin and then they’ll be recycled.
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They’re making amazing things out of them, like park benches for kids at school — it’s going to be great to see.
Please make it part of your weekly shop.