Covid waste disposal

In view of the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus disease, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency has issued guidelines for safe disposal of Covid-19 waste. All facilities treating the disease have been told to strictly adhere to the guidelines to protect those involved in the treatment and allied activities from the disease. The guidelines are part of the overall preventive measures. They make it mandatory for facilities’ management to ensure proper handling and disposal of the waste.

First, the waste will be shifted to a storage room before being transferred to a waste disposal site, either located on the premises of the hospitals, or to be transported to another location for treatment. It is to be packed in two thick plastic bags, which are to be tightly tied. It is then to be put in hard containers labelled Covid-19. Each bag should not contain more than 10kgs of the waste. All facilities will have to maintain the record of the number of bags disposed of, waste containers transported to disposal sites in vehicles marked for the purpose, the number of trips made to the waste disposal site and the amount of waste disposed during each trip. The incinerators must consist of two chambers with suitable temperature and work on the mechanism of plasma gasification.

The guidelines mention the methods to be adopted for disinfecting the containers used for transporting and storing the waste. The inner and outer surfaces of the containers are to be disinfected at least thrice a day and the vehicles after each trip. All facilities treating coronavirus should constitute dedicated teams to collect and handle Covid-19 patients’ waste. All those involved in the handling and disposal of such waste should wear personal protection equipment and use the necessary gadgets. All workers involved in collecting and disposing of such waste should undergo tests for coronavirus every alternate day. Those having fever, cough or any other illness should not transport the waste.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2020.

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