The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a huge impact on human health and the economy.  As the magnitude of this disease is increasing day by day, governments need to be urged to treat waste management including of medical, household and other hazardous waste, in order to minimize possible secondary impacts on health and the environment.

Due to this outbreak, huge amounts of hazardous waste is being generated.  These include infected masks, gloves and other protective equipment.  If these toxic wastes are not disposed off properly, they could have a major impact on human health.  In Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus first emerged, officials didn’t just need to build new hospitals for the  patients; they had to construct a new medical waste plant. Therefore, the safe handling, and final disposal of this waste is therefore a vital element in an effective emergency response.  Effective waste management requires appropriate identification, collection, separation, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal, as well as important associated aspects including disinfection, personnel protection and training. 

Management of household waste is also imperative during the COVID-19 emergency.  Medical waste such as contaminated masks, gloves, used or expired medicines, and other items can easily become mixed with domestic garbage, but should be treated as hazardous waste and disposed of separately.  Medical waste must be stored separately from household waste in order to prevent mixing.

 References:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/26/21194647/the-covid-19-pandemic-is-generating-tons-of-medical-waste

https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/waste-management-essential-public-service-fight-beat-covid-19