Environment

Two friends walk from Marseille to Paris to collect used masks

02 Dec, 2020

From Marseille to Paris on foot with a single goal, to collect the masks thrown on the ground: the story of Ed and Fred

Masks have become a threat to nature. Used to prevent the spread of covid-19, disposable masks are often found discarded on the ground, creating more rubbish to the detriment of plants and animals. In Marseille, France, an adventure-filled initiative was born: two friends wanting to walk to Paris, collecting (with precautions in place) the masks they met along the way.

Their names are Edmund Platt and Fréderic Munsch, two friends who decided to embark on this incredible adventure. Their aim was to collect all the masks they found along the road from Marseille to Paris.

Armed with extendable sticks and gloves because, let's not forget, the masks couldn’t be collected with their bare hands because of the germs they hold, the two men collected 4,200 masks in the first two weeks of the journey.

Edmund is the founder of the association "One piece of garbage a day" which is responsible for recovering masks and other plastic waste left on the ground in Marseille. Known as "the English snail" and "the boar of Marseille” respectively, the two claim they were able to tell when they are approaching a city by the accumulation of waste, masks and gloves that they came across leading to it.

In fact, the march was created also to spread awareness for choosing reusable cotton masks, in the face of this new ecological threat.

As we know, the covid pandemic has led to an extraordinary increase in the production of disposable masks. Unfortunately, due to the negligence of many, they end up on the streets at a cost to the nature around us.

Thick white K95s, Ffp2s with ventilation holes, or the most common light surgical masks, can be found strewn and discarded on street corners, flowerbeds and even on beaches.

Also read: Ecologists take control of water management in Lyon

All over the world, there are an increasing number initiatives to collect masks from off the ground, as in the city of Livorno, Italy where the campaign "It's yours” was started. In Italy alone there were 300,000 tons of waste collected, including gloves and masks, in the last 8 months.

The two friends, Ed and Fred, have a grand passion for the excursion, and have arrived in Paris, after having marched tirelessly for 880 km, over 2 months.