PACIFICA, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 3: Terri Brown, a volunteer with Pacific Beach Coalition, pulls the earloops off of a discarded surgical mask before throwing it away while picking up trash near Pacifica Esplanade Beach on April 3, 2021 in Pacifica, California. Concerns are growing over discarded COVID-19 related used personal protective equipment (PPE) that is littering streets and waterways since it contains microplastics that don't break down easily and could take hundreds of years to decompose. In September of 2020, the California Coastal Commission created a new category for masks and gloves for its coastal cleanups. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==
PACIFICA, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 3: Terri Brown, a volunteer with Pacific Beach Coalition, pulls the earloops off of a discarded surgical mask before throwing it away while picking up trash near Pacifica Show more
