Photos: Discarded COVID-19 face masks litter California beach

A man walks along his bike next to a discarded face mask on a kerb in Venice Beach, California. Due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, more people wear masks to prevent the spread, more personal protective equipment, or PPE, has been found as litter around the world.

The issue has prompted environmental organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, to sound the alarm.

Some local governments, like Suffolk County in New York, have instituted fines for littering involving masks and gloves, and police departments, like the one in Swampscott, Massachusetts, have warned that improperly discarding PPE is a crime.

Conservationists have warned that the coronavirus pandemic could spark a surge in ocean pollution – adding to a glut of plastic waste that already threatens marine life – after finding disposable masks floating like jellyfish and waterlogged latex gloves scattered across seabeds.

A discarded face mask is pictured near an oil pump in Long Beach, California.

A man wearing face mask rides his bike towing a dog next to a discarded face mask in the bike path in Long Beach, California.

A discarded face mask is pictured next to a basketball court in Long Beach, California.

A woman and his son walk by a discarded face mask on the beach in Long Beach, California.