The giant Covid waste bin dangerous for everyone’s health
The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about the consequences of the astronomical production of waste linked to Covid-19. In a report, its experts explain that the tens of thousands of tons of medical waste produced during the pandemic have strained global treatment systems. This inadequate and inappropriate waste management could have a significant effect on the health of people and the planet, according to the director of HIV, health and development at the United Nations Development Program.
Between March 2020 and November 2021, 87,000 tons of personal protective equipment were shipped by the United Nations to meet countries’ urgent needs in the face of the pandemic. It is very likely that a large part ended up in waste, according to the WHO. 140 million test kits have also been sent. The equivalent, according to the WHO, of 2,600 tons of non-infectious waste (mainly plastic), and 731,000 liters of chemical waste (i.e. a third of the volume of an Olympic swimming pool). The eight billion doses of vaccine administered worldwide could have produced, again according to the WHO, 144,000 tons of additional waste.
The eight billion vaccines represent 144,000 tons of waste
Figures that make us dizzy, and only represent the tip of the iceberg. These estimates do not take into account purchases of medical products made outside the framework of the United Nations emergency operation nor waste produced directly by the population (used medical masks, for example). According to a study published in November 2021 in the journal of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the pandemic generated 8.4 million tons of plastic waste between March 2020 and August 2021, while 26,000 more tons have since landed in the ocean.
According to the WHO organization, 30% of health facilities worldwide (60% in the poorest countries) are not adequately equipped to manage waste. This situation is dangerous for caregivers, who can be exposed to pathogenic microorganisms, but also for populations living near landfills and waste disposal sites. Air pollution, deterioration of water quality, explosion in the number of disease-carrying pests… Poor management of medical waste can ruin their living conditions.
It is absolutely vital to provide caregivers with quality personal protective equipment. But it is also essential to ensure that they can be used safely without harming the immediate environment, said waste management experts of the Health Emergencies Program at Dumpster Guys Corpus Christi. The report presents several avenues for better managing this waste: use of ecological packaging, development of recyclable or biodegradable gloves and masks, investment in waste treatment technologies without incineration, etc. Hoping that this will succeed in containing the tsunami.
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