A Forgotten Issue During the COVID-19 Pandemic: MEDICAL WASTE

We are going through a difficult period because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has profoundly affected Turkey and the entire world, during this pandemic. While the COVID-19 outbreak has brought countless challenges, another concern is the medical waste generated by rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases. For example, in Wuhan, China, where COVID-19 was first seen, officials not only built a new hospital for patients but also established a new medical waste facility and 46 mobile waste treatment facilities. At the peak of the outbreak, they reported generating 6 times as much medical waste as in normal times. Daily medical waste generation in Wuhan was therefore reported to have reached 6 tonnes, the weight of a blue whale. Hospitals in Turkey are also currently generating much more medical waste because of COVID-19. There are 2 main reasons for this:

• The number of patients in hospitals is much higher than before the pandemic,
• Materials such as masks, gloves, bedsheets, cups, plates and towels, which were not medical waste before the pandemic, are discarded as medical waste when used by COVID-19 patients.

The Los Angeles Times, published in the United States, says that if COVID-19 case numbers continue to increase in this way, waste haulers may face far more than they can handle in the coming days. It therefore reported that the National Waste and Recycling Association, which represents more than 700 companies nationwide, had requested renewal of expired commercial driving licenses and longer working hours to meet customers' needs.

How should medical waste be disposed of?

Medical waste must always, and particularly during a pandemic, be collected, processed and disposed of in accordance with procedures, without causing any harm to people, animals or the environment.

Medical waste from hospitals is received in tightly sealed medical waste bags and placed in vehicles without any damage. Before being taken to any storage site, it is incinerated, sterilized with steam at 300 degrees, or disinfected with chemicals. This eliminates the risk of contamination that could occur.

During the pandemic, more important precautions must be taken to prevent medical waste from posing a risk to waste haulers.

Even if medical waste is collected, processed and disposed of safely, medical waste haulers face a high risk of infection unless they take protective precautions. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that workers handling waste should be provided with long-sleeved gowns, masks, gloves and goggles, and taught how to use this protective equipment correctly. A gap in protective measures for waste-system workers will lead to infection among those workers and, consequently, their families and loved ones.

Therefore, if medical waste from hospitals and other waste used by COVID-19 patients is disposed of in accordance with medical waste procedures, this process can be carried out without harming the environment. However, there is a risk factor that may pose a greater risk than medical waste from hospitals: COVID-19 cases are not treated only in hospitals; people with mild illness are monitored at home, and there are also many asymptomatic individuals who do not know they carry Covid-19. These individuals put waste contaminated with the Covid-19 virus into the bins outside their homes.

What effects does waste from patients who have been diagnosed with coronavirus and are monitored at home, or who are asymptomatic, have on the environment? Does it pose a risk of transmission?

Waste contaminated with COVID-19 and placed in household bins may be a significant risk factor for the workers collecting it, because studies show that the virus can remain on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on steel and plastic for up to 2-3 days.

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Experts say that, to eliminate this risk factor, all members of the population, as well as patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and monitored at home, need to tie their rubbish bags tightly and never discard them loose or open. The government also needs to provide all waste collectors with long-sleeved gowns, masks, gloves and goggles, and train them in the correct use of this protective equipment. In this way, we will protect our valued waste collectors, who put themselves at risk to collect our rubbish, and consequently their families and loved ones.

Conclusion

• Materials such as masks, gloves, bedsheets, cups, plates and towels, which were not medical waste before the pandemic, need to be discarded as medical waste when used by COVID-19 patients.
• If COVID-19 case numbers continue to increase in this way, waste haulers are thought likely to face far more than they can handle in the coming days.
• COVID-19 has been shown to remain on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on steel and plastic for up to 2-3 days. Therefore, all members of the population, as well as patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and monitored at home, need to tie their rubbish bags tightly and never discard them loose or open.
• According to the World Health Organization, workers collecting medical or household waste need to be provided with long-sleeved gowns, masks, gloves and goggles and taught how to use this protective equipment correctly.

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