The Year of the Face Mask – Making a Difference One Plalk at a Time

Connector October 2021

It’s been just over a year since I took my first plalk – and my casual stroll for fresh air during COVID lockdown is now an evidence-informed look at the changes taking place in our environment.

Spoiler: I started collecting data and I’ve picked up 528 masks in 6 months – that equates about three a day in just my little walking area – and a whole lot else too.

Let me tell you about my journey from an anonymous member of our community to “Litter Lady”, what I learned along the way, and how you can make a difference in your own community.

My story

In May 2020, I started plalking – or picking up litter whilst walking – to get some exercise. What started out as a casual exercise is now a (healthy?) obsession. I can’t seem to pass litter that I don’t pick up. Given that I’m out every day, some of the local kids have now dubbed me “Litter Lady”. It seems I’m in good local company after meeting a fellow plalker who goes by “Trash Panda”.

Throughout 2020, I started to see to a change in my daily litter loot. It was such a dramatic shift that, to my husband’s dismay, I decided to make spring and summer 2021 a data gathering exercise to satisfy my curiosity.

I collected what seemed to be ‘new’ litter (i.e., face masks, vape and cannabis materials) along with a few typical types of litter that I found last year (i.e., stir sticks and bottle caps) to compare numbers. Was my mind playing tricks on me? Nope!

Here are some numbers for you. Between March 5 – September 5, 2021, I collected the following target items on my 1.5 km litter route around “Wildflower Pond” and our local community hall:

  • 528 masks (116 were reusable)
  • 34 vape products
  • 13 cannabis products
  • 399 loose bottle caps
  • 28 stir sticks
Figure 1: Plalking adventures Summer 2021: 528 face masks.
  • Figure 2: Bottle caps collected.
  • Figure 3: Vape products collected.
  • Figure 4: Cannabis containers collected.
  • Figure 5: Stir stick litter collected.
  • Figure 6: Bottle cap litter in situ along the shores of Wildflower Pond. Notice the dental flosser in the top left corner too.
  • Figure 7: Mask litter in situ in Wildflower Pond.

Of course, there were also loads of other types of litter, e.g., slurpee cups, lids and straws, coffee cups and lids, cigarette butts, a host of food product wrappers from our local 7-11, an unnecessary number of granola bar ends and wrappers, and a worrisome number of plastic dental flossers. (Who exactly are these people who are flossing while walking down the street and tossing flossers everywhere?)

I also collected over $60 in deposit return system beverage containers (many with caps on) that went toward my ‘really delicious wine fund.’

What I learned

A few things have become more apparent as a result of my plalking adventures this year:

  1. Mask litter is a new problem that appears to be growing exponentially. 
  2. Mask litter appears to be most prominent where kids are gathering.
    1. I collected most of the masks during the school year on the path system that leads to and from local schools.
    2. Of the 528 masks collected, less than 50 were found between July and August.
    3. Of the 116 reusable masks, 95 were “kid-sized.”
  3. Vape litter is more prevalent in my little suburban community than cannabis litter, though both seem to be increasing over years past.
  4. There were fewer Starbucks stir sticks this year, though they remain a top litter concern for me because they easily break apart into multiple pieces of litter. 
  5. Bottle cap litter remains an issue despite the fact that Alberta has recycled ‘caps-on beverage containers’ for more than a decade.

Worth noting: I’ve posted about this multiple times on my community Facebook page, but there seems confusion caused by the fact that the City of Calgary and other MRF-based municipalities that accept beverage containers in their blue carts/bins/bags request ‘caps off’. If Alberta is serious about preventing plastic litter, this municipal message must change to reduce consumer confusion.

  1. The amount of plastic found in and around our local stormwater pond (Wildflower Pond) is surprising and sad. Our little community loves the pond because it attracts all kinds of birds, including pelicans, ducks, and herons. Unfortunately, street litter is traveling into the pond through the stormwater system and can hurt these birds through entanglement and by filling their stomachs and causing starvation. 

My call to action

Plalking is a joy – and doesn’t have to an obsession. Every little bit can help cleanup our communities.

I plalk with:

  • a reusable outer bag – perfect for beverage containers;
  • two inner liner bags that I can fill with litter or my ‘target items’;
  • my metal tongs to keep the gross factor down; and
  • my trusty companion, Riley, a litter-sniffing senior dog who sniffs more than he walks, keeps me company, and helps with predator alert (I’m looking at you, Canada Goose!).

The next time you need some fresh air, plan a walk, or are looking for an opportunity make a difference in your community, consider a plalk! It’s a healthy, safe, and community-minded activity that you can do while following COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

Figure 8: Riley the sniffer dog.
  • Figure 9: Litter picking gear: outer reusable bag, inner liner bags, metal tongs.
  • Figure 10: Example of litter haul.

Jodi Tomchyshyn London
2018-2021 President, Recycling Council of Alberta
Passionate environmentalist, plalker, and anti-litter advocate

*Remember to ensure you have the proper safety equipment while picking up litter. Wear puncture-proof gloves or a tool (like a garbage picker or tongs) to avoid touching items, glasses or eye protection, and dress for the conditions. Never pick up sharp items or items that you are not sure what they are.