Table 2.
“Reported COVID-19 cases, deaths, and estimated total plastic waste generation by region, measured in tonnes” [adapted with permission (under CC.BY. 4.0) from [20]; Elsevier].
| Region | Populationa | Total COVID-19 casesb | Total COVID-19 deatbsb | Facemask acceptance rate by population (%)c | Average facemask/capita/day | Estimated daily facemask disposed | Estimated plastic waste generated | Estimated plastic waste generated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (tonnes) | per day (tonnes) | |||||||
| Africa | 1,340,598,147 | 212,271 | 5,718 | 70 | 1 | 411,814,854 | 100,544,861 | 275,465 |
| Asia | 4,641,054,775 | 1,470,640 | 37,222 | 80 | 1 | 1,875,181,681 | 348,079,108 | 953,641 |
| Europe | 747,636,026 | 2,149,248 | 181,138 | 80 | 1 | 445,022,934 | 56,072,702 | 153,623 |
| South America | 653,952,454 | 1,267,858 | 54,648 | 75 | 1 | 380,414,703 | 49,046,434 | 134,373 |
| North America | 368,869,647 | 2,361,458 | 140,399 | 80 | 1 | 244,335,150 | 27,665,223 | 75,795 |
| Oceania | 42,677,813 | 8,896 | 124 | 75 | 1 | 21,682,379 | 3,200,836 | 8,769 |
| Total | 3,378,451,702 | 584,609,165 | 1,601,666 |