How Infectious Medical Waste are Handled During the Pandemic

Coronavirus pandemic has increased the amount of infectious waste produced in healthcare facilities and households. This has overwhelmed the existing waste transport and disposal infrastructure in hospitals and households. To cope up with the increase, governments have adopted new waste disposal regulations. Others are relying on the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization. Regardless of the path adopted, here are the recommended guidelines on how infectious waste should be handled during the pandemic. General guidelines Since the municipalities have rescheduled their waste collection frequency, you need to plan your waste disposal frequency accordingly. Additionally, avoid recycling activities to prevent human contact with infectious domestic and medical waste.

 Transport and Disposal procedure of medical infectious wasteThe transport vehicles should have a non-absorbent and sealed load area. This loading area should be locked, disinfected, and separated from the driver’s cabin. Infectious medical waste is normally sprayed with a chlorine solution and stored temporarily onsite. Therefore, it should be sterilized through radiation or steam before disposal. Then it should be disposed of in a licensed and approved landfill. Additionally, the waste can be disposed of through incineration method. This disposal method should be carried out at a remote specialist facility or on-site.  If the waste volumes are overwhelmingly high, the industrial furnaces and cement kilns can be used as disposal facilities.

 Infectious medical waste was increased significantly due to coronavirus pandemic. The increase has called for the expansion of the waste disposal facilities. You can follow the above guidelines when disposing of infectious medical waste.