Marine rangers counting face masks that washed up on Lord Howe Island, 700 kilometres from Sydney. More than a thousand disposable face masks have washed up on remote Australian island Lord Howe Island since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, sparking fears for marine life and seabirds. Early reports from Clean Up Australia Day a week ago also suggest face masks and other pandemic-related litter have emerged as a big problem on the mainland. Lord Howe Island Marine Park manager Justin Gilligan said a community-wide effort had recovered 1112 face masks from the island’s beaches and rocky headlands in the second half of last year.