While the current COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly spreading in some countries, thus intensifying its impact upon the world’s healthcare systems and economy, it starts to slowly decrease in other countries. During this time, ensuring reliable and safe municipal solid waste management (MSWM) services provision is a must for all local governments to protect public health and contain the spread of the virus.
Already before COVID-19, 2 billion people worldwide were lacking access to waste collection and 3 billion to controlled waste disposal. Ensuring waste collection for everyone is even more pressing during this health challenge. However, many waste management operators or local governments lack experience, technical knowledge and financial resources to ensure the safety of their workers. Furthermore, countless informal workers are meeting their daily ends by picking up and selling recyclables from the waste stream. These informal workers are particularly vulnerable to infect themselves, as well as to the economic consequences of for example a complete lock down.
Additionally, the amount of healthcare waste being generated is increasing dramatically. Some cities are not equipped with facilities for safe treatment and disposal of medical waste, resulting in open burning or dumping of the same. This way anyone, even children, can easily access it. Cities in low to middle income countries, where waste management service provision is immature and with a high percentage of informality in the waste and recycling economy, are particularly at high risk.
The following articles may be of help for different type of waste in the time of COVID-19 pandemic::
1. Presentation COVID-19 and challenges in the provision of solid waste services
2.Article Reverse Logistics Network Design for Effective Management of...
3. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331846/WHO-2019-nCoV-IPC_WASH-2020.3-eng.pdf
https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/26/21194647/the-covid-19-pandemic-is-generating-tons-of-medical-waste
The issue of waste is a concern in some countries. We hope all governments, through municipalities and societies, to pay attention to this problem.
Here comes the role of scientists to refer to problems dependent on waste collection, and the proper ways to deal and dispose of waste.
Yes, during the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (pandemic Covid-19) pandemic, the importance of improving waste segregation techniques, recycling and safe disposal of non-recyclable waste, including medical waste that has been in contact with the coronavirus, increases. The issue is important because the quality of improving waste segregation processes, recycling and safe waste disposal also depends on the issue of anti-pandemic safety in the context of a possible recurrence of the epidemic in subsequent years.
Greetings,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
I agree with the issues raised on waste management during this pandemic.
I agree with you. This is a hard time to control these things. The number of people for these jobs are confined to some limit now. But the wastes generated these days are mostly domestic wastes and medical wastes. So, it has become easier to manage it somehow. All we need is some awareness and and education about it. So, it can be done by spreading the news in social media TV etc. Even we can introduce caller tunes to spread these awareness. In medical institutions, it will be easier as those are controlled and run by educated people. So, if we solve the problem by educating general people, most of the problems will be solved. Of course it will not be very easy, at least in our country, but we must try. Look some of the people have understood the problems of COVID 19 and they have stopped their bad activities.
Due to lockdown, even existing workers are not able freely function in all the areas.
Most important, waste from clinical settings should be handled specially in this COVID-19 season.
Clinical waste has substantially multiplied during this pandemic. These include discarded protective gear (gloves, PPEs, discarded ventilators and similar stuffs). Additional manpower for disposal of this waste.
The safe management of waste is critical during the global emergency to face the Corona threat. It must be treated as hazardous waste and disposed of separately in order to ensure minimizing impacts on human health and the environment. The Basel Convention on Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is the most comprehensive international environmental agreement on hazardous waste and others Of waste, an almost universal agreement that includes 187 parties
waste management services may be affected due to lockdown in COVID-19, such as medical, household and other hazardous waste. slow services of waste management services, may be impacts upon health and the environment.
Solid Waste Management in this period of COVID-19 pandemic require special/skillful approach. The source not withstanding, I believe it will be safe if solid waste is handled/treated as infectious/hazardous. This is because of the high probability of contamination of substances even in domestic or other non-health care environments. Nose/face masks, hand gloves etc. become more or less health care waste the moment you pull them off. Even if you use them in non-hospital environments. My recommendations are people who are not knowledgeable about health care waste management should be not be at the fore front of solid waste management till this pandemic is over. However, in situations where there is shortage of skilled manpower, crash training programmes should be organized for people on ground before being deployed to do the job. If this is not done, we may be faced with another health crisis by the time COVID-19 is over.
Solid waste management( biodegradeble) is important area during this pandemic condition. Another important area is hospital waste management.
Very importantly the person involved in this case, especially the sweepers, should be given proper protection and and strict instructions to follow.
We developed a mathematical model to determine amount of solid waste generated over time. Check page 14 of this article
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339090846_Waste_An_Environment_degrable_Agent_in_Lagos_State
Please follow the link below:
Article The COVID-19 pandemic: Considerations for the waste and wast...
Please have a look at the link below:
Preprint Solid waste management during Covid-19 pandemic: policy gaps...
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