SPARE a thought for the local environment and how you dispose of things such as masks and gloves is the message from Ceredigion County Council during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Discarded masks and gloves pose a risk to wildlife, waste collectors and the general public,” said a Ceredigion council spokesperson.

“So, as part of Caru Ceredigion, help keep them safe and our beautiful countryside, beaches and streets clean by doing the right thing.

“Disposable masks, gloves, tissues and any other personal waste shouldn’t be discarded and they’re not recyclable. They should be put in the non-recyclable, ‘black bag’ waste.

“Black bags containing these items should be double-bagged before putting out for collection.

“When out and about, dispose of these items in the general waste litter bins. Signs advising of this will soon feature on litter bins in Ceredigion’s town centres.”

UK based waste disposal specialists BusinessWaste.co.uk are calling for people to make the switch from disposable face masks to reusable ones in a bid to reduce this littering.

Company spokesman Mark Hall said: “Animals are dying because they are getting tangled up in face masks that have been ignorantly thrown away, and somebody has to pick up your germy rubbish.

"More than 50 million facemasks are being thrown away each day"

“We need to fight the virus and keep ourselves safe in a way that doesn’t end up killing the planet and animals with single-use waste.”